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TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 
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I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


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D 
D 

n 


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Tl 
tc 


Tl 

P« 
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fil 


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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reductici  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous 

10X                             14X                             18X                            22X 

• 

26X 

30X 

1 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

tails 
I  du 
odifier 
une 
mage 


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Library  Division 

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Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
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filming  contract  spacifications. 


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The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
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L'exemplaira  film*  fut  raproduit  grAce  A  la 
ginArositi  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  ColumbI 

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plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
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conformity  even  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couj/erture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  fi^m'es  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplairas 
originaux  sont  filmAs  an  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -♦'  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmAs  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmi  i  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droits, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prennnt  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


irrata 
to 


pelure, 
nd 


D 


32X 


1 

2 

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1 

2 

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6 

e 

MEMOIR  AND  EULOGY        .  ? 


(^ 


or 


DR.  ELISHA  KENT  KANE, 

PRONOUNCED  BT 

BRO.  E.  W.  ANDREWS, 

BEFORE  THE  GRAND  LODGE  OF  THE  ANCIENT  AND  HONORABLE  FBATERNIT; 

OF  FREE  AND  ACCEPTED  MASONS  IN  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORE, 

JUNE  5, 1857, 

TOGETHER  WITH  THE 

OPENING   ADDRESS 

BTTRa 

M.  W.  GRAND  MASTER, 

AND  LETTERS  RECEIVED  ON  THE  OCCASION,  FROM  EDWARD  BVBRITT, 

WiSHIMTON  IRVING,  GENERAL  WOOL,  JUDGE  KANE,  COMMODORES 

PERRY,  STEWART  AND  READ,  AND  MANY  OT.  ".R 

DISTINGUISHED  GENTLEMEN  IN  VARIOUS 

FARTS  OF  THE  UNION. 


NEW   YORK: 
PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OF  THE  GRAND  LODGE. 

1867. 


f  V  W  p 

e 


1     [■     c 


MAV  14  '14 


I 


Ki  M  '§1 


(g^ovvtapontitnit. 


1 


UrpicB  OF  THE  Grand  Sbcrbtart  or  thb  Grand  Lodoi 
OF  Free  and  Accbpted  Masons  op  the  State  of  New  Yore, 

New  Yore,  June  22,  1867. 
Dear  Sir  and  Brother  : 

At  the  Annnal  Communication  of  the  M.  W.  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  hold  in  this  city  on  the  6th  of  Juno,  a.  l.  5857,  the  following  reiolution  wai 
adopted : 

"  fVhereati  The  memberi  of  the  M.  W.  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  in  Annual  Communication  assembled,  having  listened  to  the  eulogy,  pro- 
nounced on  the  evening  of  the  5th  inat,,  to  the  memory  of  our  distinguished  and 
beloved  brother.  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  do  desire  to  express  to  our  worthy  and  esteemed 
brother,  E.  W.  Andrews,  their  high  pleasure  and  satisfaction  with  the  ability 
and  fidelity  with  which  he  has  discharged  the  duty  imposed  upon  him;  therefore, 

"  Reeolved,  That  our  brother,  E.  W.  Andrews,  be  requested  to  place  his 
manuscript  in  the  hands  of  our  R.  W.  Deputy  Grand  Master  and  R.  W.  Grand 
Secretary,  to  be  published  under  their  supervision,  for  distribution  among  the 
members  of  the  Grand  Lodge  " 

To  enable  us  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  will  yon  be  kind 
enough  to  furnish  us  with  a  copy  of  said  eulogy  Y 

.  Very  truly  and  fraternally  yours, 

JAMES  M.  AUSTIN, 

Grand  Secretary. 
To  Hon.  E.  W.  Andrews. 


New  York,  Jane  21,  1857. 

R.  W.  James  I»I.  Au!T'"«: 

Grattd  Secretary. 

Dbar  Sir  and  Brother  :— Your  letter  of  the  22d  inst.,  inclosing  a  copy  of  ilio 
resolution  adopted  by  the  New  York  Grand  Lodge,  on  the  6th  of  June  last,  was 
duly  received,  and  id  gratefully  acknowledged. 

In  accordance  with  the  wish  embodied  in  the  resolution,  I  herewith  send  yoa  my 
manuscript,  and  place  it  at  your  disposal. 

Truly  and  fraternally  yours, 

E.  W.  ANDREWS. 


25426*. 


intvolfuttion. 


When  the  painful  intelligence  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Kane  was 
received  in  the  United  States,  the  brethren  of  Arcana  Lodge, 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  immediately  adopted  measures  to  pay 
suitable  public  honors  to  the  memory  of  the  illuBtrious  deceased, 
as  a  worthy  brother  of  the  Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  an  honorary  me£[iber  of  that  Lodge,  by  adopting 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions: 

Wherkas,  In  the  remoTal  of  Br.  Rank  from  our  midst,  we  recognize 
a  dispensation  of  the  Great  Architect  of  the  Universe,  to  which  we  bow 
in  humble  submission,  while  as  mortal  beings  we  mouru  the  loss  to  man- 
kind of  so  much  worth  beyond  that  which  Supreme  Wisdom  has  endowed 
a  large  majority  of  His  earthly  intelligences ;  and 

Whkrras,  In  his  decease  we  are  sensible  of  the  loss  of  a  true  and 
valued  Brother;  viewing  it  as  an  event  of  no  ordinary  sorrow,  not  to  us 
alone  as  a  Fraternity,  but  to  the  country  in  whose  service  bis  life  has  been 
sacriGccd,  after  a  short  but  brilliant  career,  to  place  a  new  and  beautiful 
chaplet  on  her  brow ;  and  to  the  world,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
brightest  ornaments  in  science,  bravery  and  worth,  having  inscribed  his 
name  on  the  great  scroll  of  time,  to  be  read  and  respected  by  future  gen- 
erations; and 

Whereas,  His  devotion  to  the  Fraternity  and  to  humanity  was  so 
nobly  exhibited  in  his  untiring  efforts  to  rescue  a  lost  Brother,  in  the 
person  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  and  in  planting,  with  the  American  flag. 
Masonic  emblems,  to  arrest  the  attention  of  travelers  and  voyagers  in 
the  desolate  region  of  eternal  ice;  therefore, 

Besolved,  That  a  Lodge  of  Sorrow  be  holden,  at  such  time  and  place 
as  may  be  hereafter  designated,  in  honor  of  our  cherished  and  htmentcd 
Brother,  Dr.  Elisba  K.  Kane. 


6 


INTRODUCTIOK. 


Upon  subsequent  consultation,  however,  with  the  ofBccrs  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State,  it  was  adjudged  proper  that  this 
body,  at  its  Annual  Communication,  to  be  held  in  June,  should 
take  the  lead,  in  giving  expression  to  the  profound  grief  of  the 
brotherhood,  at  the  early  death  of  one  of  its  most  distinguished 
members,  and  their  respect  and  affection  for  his  memory;  and  the 
following  named  brethren  were  appointed  a 

®omm{ttee  of  arransemcnts  t 


Rl.  W.  ROBT.  MACOY, 
Et.  W.  JAMES  M.  AUSTIN, 

rt.  w.  chas.  l.  church, 

Rt.  W.  JOHN  W.  SIMONS, 
W.  WM.  GURNEY, 
W.  CHAS.  A.  PECK, 
W.  A.  P.  MORIARTY, 
W.  HENRY  W.  TURNER, 
W.  CHAS.  F.  NEWTON, 


W.  CHAS.  S.  WESTCOTT, 
W.  THOMAS  S.  80MMER8, 
W.  THOMAS  E.  OARSON, 
W.  NEHEMIAH  PECK, 
W.  ARTHUR  BOYCE, 
W.  GEO.  C.  WEBSTER, 
W.  J.  B.  Y.  SOMMERS, 
W.  ANDRES  CAS8ARD, 
W.  JAMES  B.  TAYLOR, 


Bro.  SIDNEY  KOPMAN. 

The  evening  of  the  5th  of  June  was  designated  as  the  time, 
when  some  appropriate,  public  demonstration  should  be  made, 
and  the  church  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chapin,  on  Broadway,  was  se- 
lected as  the  place.  Brother  E.  W.  Andrews,  of  New  York,  was 
invited  to  pronounce  the  eulogy  on  the  occasion,  which  invitation 
he  accepted.  The  music  was  placed  under  the  direction  of  Bro. 
Jaues  B.  Tatlor,  |nd  other  arrangements  were  made,  which  the 
dignity  and  solemnity  of  the  occasion  demanded.  When  the 
appointed  evening  arrived,  a  large  and  most  respectable  audience 
assembled;  the  church  was  draped  in  mourning;  a  fine  bust  of 
Dr.  Eake  was  placed  prominently  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  resting 
on  a  pedestal  draped  with  the  tattered  flag  of  the  two  Arctic  ex- 


INTBODUCnOH. 


pcditions,  and  in  the  rear  of  it  was  hung  a  beautifhl  banner,  em- 
blazoned with  the  symbols  of  Freemasonry.  The  music,  both 
vocal  and  instrumental,  was  in  harmony  with  the  raoumfulness  of 
the  scene,  and  deepened  the  solemn  impression  it  produced.  The 
officers  and  members  of  the  Grand  Lodge  appeared  in  full  regalia 
and  wearing  badges  of  mourning.  As  in  sad  procession  they 
entered  the  centre  aisle  of  the  spacious  church,  and  with  slow  and 
measured  step,  passed  up  beneath  its  lofty  arches,  toward  the 
sacred  altar,  while  the  deep-toned  organ  pealed  forth  its  solemn 
notes,  and  the  voices  of  the  choir,  in  the  mournful  dirge,  seemed 
the  breathmgs  of  bereaved  hearts,  the  scene  was  deeply  impres- 
sive. Every  heart  seemed  touched  with  the  spirit  of  sadness. 
When  the  music  ceased,  amidst  the  profound  stillness  that  pre- 
vailed through  the  large  and  thoughtful  assembly,  the  Grand 
Chaplain,  Kt.  W.  and  Rev.  B.  L.  Schookharer,  arose  and  in  a 
most  fervent  and  touching  prayer  addressed  the  Throne  of  Grace. 
Tho  following 

ODE, 

WKI'ITKI  DT  BRO.  JAUO)  BKRRI^ra,   WAS  TmCI 
SUNQ  BY  MRS.   SPROSTON,   MISS  GEER  AND   MESSRS,  TAYLOR  AND  WILLIAMS 

Hkbk  let  the  sacred  rights  decreed 

In  honor  of  departed  friends, 
"With  solemn  order  now  proceed, 

While  living/aitk  with  sorrow  blends. 

Now  let  the  hymn,  the  humble  prayer, 

From  hearts  sincere  ascend  on  high, 
And  mystic  evergreen  declare 

The  hope  within  us  cannot  die. 

The  mortal  frame  may  be  conceal'd 

Witbdn  the  narrow  house  of  gloom. 
But  God  in  mercy  has  reveal' d 

Immortal  life  beyond  the  tomb. 


8  ADDRESS. 

I 

The  friends  we  mourn  we  RtiU  may  lov*, 

llien  Ipt  our  OHpirntionii  riite 
To  that  bright  apirlt- world  above, 

Where  virtue  liven,  lovtntvtr  din. 

The  M.  W.  Qrand  Master,  John  L.  Lkwii,  Jn.,  then  briefly 
addressed  the  audience  upon  tlie  uielaucbolv  •■  ituro  of  the  occa- 
sion which  bad  brought  them  together. 


Bbethren  op  the  Masonic  Fraternitt, 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
A  few  hours  since  I  was  first  informed,  by  reading  the 
printed  programme,  that  it  vras  annouuccd  that  I  was  to 
take  an  active  part  in  the  exercises  of  this  evening.  My 
Masonic  brethren  need  not  be  told,  that  my  engagements 
elsewhere,  till  within  the  last  hour,  have  prevented  me  from 
making  any  preparation,  or  reflecting  upon  the  subject 
matter  of  what  I  should  here  speak.  But  this  considera- 
tion did  not,  could  not  restrain  me  from  being  present  and 
contributing  my  humble  aid  in  this  public  testimonial  to 
the  services  and  worth  of  him,  who  is  wrapped  in  the  silent 
slumber  that  knows  no  waking,  in  a  distant  city.  I  might 
indeed  catch  inspiration  from  tiie  scene  presented  before 
and  around  me.  This  large  and  attentive  assemblage  in- 
tent on  doing  homage  to  departed  genius;  the  fervid  and 
thrilling  petition  to  the  Throne  of  Grace,  just  oflfered;  the 
rich  harmony  pealing  from  yonder  skilled  choir,  all  awaken 
deep  emotion;  but  I  will  not  attempt  to  give  them  utter- 


Ji 


ADDRESI. 


ance.    My  simple  duty  will  best  bo  discharged  by  u  brief 
allusion  to  the  reasons  that  have  brought  us  together. 

This  respectable  and  intelligent  auditory  scarcely  romuro 
to  bo-remindcd  of  the  cause  of  this  assemblage.  Thest  ^  >- 
blems  of  Masonry;  these  drooping  flags;  those  mu.  ,  yet 
speaking  evidences  of  sorrow,  remind  us  that  w  are  in  iuo 
house  .f  n  mrning.  The  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Ne»T 
York,  now  assembled  in  Annual  Communication,  have  re- 
Eolved  to  set  apart  a  portion  of  their  time  to  do  public 
honor  to  the  name  and  memory  of  Dr.  Elisha  K.  Kanb,  as 
not  only  indicative  of  their  own  feelings,  but  as  due  to  his 
character.  And  why  should  we  thus  honor  his  name  and 
memory  ?  He  was  not  a  citizen  of  our  state,  nor  a  regular 
member  of  any  lodge  under  this  jurisdiction;  and  we  have 
apparently  only  the  feelings  of  sorrow  entertained  in  com- 
mon by  the  entire  Craft,  that  a  distinguished  and  beloved 
brother  of  our  world-wide  Fraternity  has  passed  away.  It 
would  be  sufficient  to  base  our  action  alone  upon  this. 
While  wo  claim  that  a  connection  with  the  Masonic  Frater- 
nity reflects  credit  upon  each  individual  member,  it  fre- 
quently occurs  that  the  character  of  its  distinguished  vo- 
taries also  reflects  a  brighter  renown  upon  our  institution. 
Their  fame  becomes  our  fame;  their  honor  is  our  honor; 
their  renown  our  renown,  and  in  this  instance  we  feel  that 
the  achievements  of  Kane  have  shed  a  halo  of  glory  around 
the  Masonic  brotherhood  "  bright  as  the  mystic  aurora  of 
the  clime  he  braved."  The  distinguished  and  eloquent 
brother,  from  whose  glowing  lips  we  are  to  hear  a  truthful 


10 


ADDRKS3. 


eulogy  upon  the  life  and  character  of  Dr.  Kane,  will  tell 
how  he  loved  our  institution;  how  its  lessons  cheered  thft 
rigor  and  gloom  of  Polar  night;  and  how,  erecting  his 
country's  standard  as  at  once  a  shield  and  a  signal,  he 
spread  to  the  blast  beneath  it,  a  flag  bearing  the  peculiar 
devices  of  the  Craft,  that  it  might  perchance  catch  the  eye 
of  some  wanderer  in  that  frozen  clime,  and  urge  him  by  its 
mute  appeal  to  more  vigorous  exertions  to  cheer  and  save. 
It  is  proper  that  I  should  remind  you  (as  I  have  once  al- 
ready done  at  the  opening  of  the  Annual  Communication,) 
that  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York  thus  publicly  pays 
tribute  to  his  merits  and  genius  because  he  was  an  honorary 
member  of  one  of  the  lodges  under  its  jurisdiction,  (Arcana 
246),  and  because  his  last  spoken  farewell,  previous  to  his 
departure  upon  his  latest  perilous  expedition,  was  to  this 
Grand  Lodge,  assembled  in  special  communication  to  ex- 
change parting  salutations,  and  to  cheer  him  onward  in  his 
hazardous  enterprise  of  seeking  for  an  eminent  lost  brother 
in  the  regions  of  perpetual  wintry  desolation. 

It  is  as  much  the  province  of  our  ancient  Fraternity  to 
gather  around  the  open  grave  and  silent  tomb  of  a  brother 
as  it  is  to  meet  upon  festal  or  ceremonial  occasions,  where 
mutual  smiles  and  innocent  festi^'ity  denote  the  joyousness 
of  the  heart.  We  gather  in  our  Lodges  of  Sorrow  when 
the  loved  and  honored  have  departed,  and  sit  in  the  cham- 
bers of  death,  to  give  expression  to  the  emotions  which  stir 
our  souls,  and  ours  is  the  mournful  duty  of  strewing  the 
grave  of  a  brother  with  the  weeping  acacia  as  a  token  that 


ADDRKSS. 


11 


^.. 


while  we  witness  the  mortality  of  the  body,  we  also  believe 
in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  lingering  around  the 
little  mound  of  earth  which  crowns  his  last  resting-place, 
while  we  speak  of  his  virtues  and  our  own  bereavement. 
Ours  is  the  mournful  task  of  weaving  chaplets  for  the  sep- 
ulchre, as  well  as  garlands  for  the  living  brow,  and  of  plant- 
ing the  shady  cypress  in  the  cemetery  of  the  silent  dead. 
"We  have  thus  met,  as  in  a  Lodge  of  Sorrow,  tonight,  and 
while  our  spirits  kindle  at  the  recollection  of  what  our  dis- 
tinguished brother  has  done  for  the  cause  of  our  common 
humanity,  and  for  the  fresh  honors  he  has  shed  upon  our 
gallant  navy,  we  mourn  at  the  remenibrance  that  he  has 
passed  away  from  earth  forever,  but  yet  in  the  fullness  of 
his  fame  and  the  brightness  of  his  early  renown. 

We  do  not  mourn  alone.  Listen  to  what  his  former  dis- 
tinguished and  gallant  commander,  Commodore  Pebrv; 
that  brave  and  renowned  veteran.  Commodore  Stewart; 
the  enlightened  Maury,  and  others  of  high  meritorious 
character,  say  of  their  lamented  brother  officer.  'N'or  alone 
does  the  voice  of  sorrow  come  up  from  the  surges  of  the 
sounding  S'^a.  The  gallant  soldiery  of  the  country  delight 
to  honor  skill  and  daring,  whether  by  sea  or  land.  Hear 
the  language  of  the  distinguished  and  renowned  second  in 
command  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  Major-General  Wool.  Hear 
also  the  voices  of  our  statesmen  and  men  of  literature;  the 
accomplished  Everett,  Irving,  Willis,  Hallock,  Lester, 
and  a  host  of  other  celebrities,  from  the  pulpit,  the  bar,  and 
the  mystic  circle. 


12 


INVITATION. 


The  Grand  Master  then  read  a  number  of  letters,  which  had 
been  received  in  response  to  the  following  invitation : 

OFFICE  OF  THE  ORAND  I,ODOE  OF 

jf ret  anil  ^cceptctr  ittasons  of  tbe  &tatt  of  'Netn  York. 

J/euA   ^Jct4,     Tune  Ya,  'f^57. 
3/ear  jtr: 

Unii     ^loLc)    icl-»    oS«AJu  ^cAm),    /dxtiUAUt.  cl-^  ttiM/uWiQ  Umax)    lunlO 
iaYWcAAAMyn)    aLn    muI    JLamu/nlciOl   omA  otkAJunQuullvba)     (^Aa.. 

DR.  ELISHA  KENT  KANE, 


mumuAAt. 


^L 


lUXMMmU.^ 


juk  Aa    AaLc}    yaam  An)    (O^xJuiau  (luitminui' 
|ui»«)   5,   aJD  iL)    (sWcW    JL,   Wnti   %jm.    eU!f.    b.    0\S.    (sLlftiJ, 
A/n)    (^Aaaaaua^i,    km    li\a\\r=.UaiM     [   axaaxim). 

EuLOGiuM — By  the  Hon.  Bro.  E.  "W.  Andrews, 

OnVO^     aUua)      AMMAAmAAAtt)      OMuU-^k. 

AXAAiAUil    aI^  AjuY(<a1    Aa    Mvd    mumuAu    aI^    Uu)   idtVvAAMA). 

7K,     ^   OmmiUee 
r,        >•        on 
tfAN,  )  InvOation. 


CHAS.  A.  PECK,     )   OmmiUee 
ROBT.  MACOY, 
SIDNEY  KOPMAN, 


nttttv». 


) 


bad 


trft. 


Jo 


L 


[fVom  Commodore  Stewart,  U.  S.  Navy  ] 

Philadelhia  Navy  Yard,  June  3d,  1867. 

OENTLSMBir :  —  I  have  the  honor  to  receive  your  kind  invitation  of  the 
first  instant,  in  behalf  of  the  Honorable  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of 
the  state  of  New  York,  to  attend  in  the  contemplated  public  honors  to 
the  memory  of  the  lamented  and  distinguished  Brother  Doctor  Elisha 
K.  Kane. 

Could  I  have  been  spared  from  the  duties  of  this  post,  without  public 
inconvenience,  on  the  fifth  instant,  it  would  have  afforded  me  the  most 
grateful  feelings  to  have  imited  with  our  brethren  of  t'ae  state  of  New 
York  by  my  attendance,  on  the  occasion  of  their  tribute  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  one  so  honorably  distinguished  and  self-sacrificed  for  the  benefit 
of  the  human  family. 

Accept,  gentlemen,  with  the  assurance  of  my  regret,  from  inability  on 

this  occasion,  to  comply  with  your  interesting  wishes,  that  I  have  the 

honor  to  remain, 

Most  respectfully, 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

CHARLES  STEWART. 
To  Brothers 

Cbas.  a.  Pick,  \ 

Robert  Macot,  >•  Gnimittee  on  Invitation. 

Sidney  Eopxan.  ; 


{From  Commodore  Perry,  U.  S.  iVapy.] 

38  West  TniRXY-SBCoin)  street. 
New  York,  June  8d,  1867. 
Gentlkider:  —  I  regret  exceedingly  that  a  protracted  illness,  which  has 
confined  me  to  my  house  for  several  weeks,  will  deprive  me  of  the  gratifi- 
cation of  joining  you  in  doing  honor  to  the  memory  of  our  departed  bro- 
ther "  The  lamented  and  distinguished  "  Doctor  E.  E.  Kane. 

Be  assured,  gentlemen,  of  my  warmest  sympathies  being  with  you  on 
the  occasion  of  your  melancholy  ceremonies.  , 

Most  respectfully. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

M.  C.  PERRY. 
Cbas.  A.  Peck,  ^ 

Robert  Maooy,    >■  Oommittee  on  Invitation. 

SroNBY  EOPHAM,  ) 


V 


^^. 


u 


LETTERS. 


/ 


(/  .. 


i^ 


*^ 


I 


[From  Commodore  Read,  U.  S.  Navy-I 

Philadklfhia,  June  the  8d,  1857. 

Gkntudcen  : — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  polite  invitation  re- 
ceived from  you  to-day,  to  attend  and  join  in  a  ceremony,  the  object  of 
which  is  to  bestow  appropriate  honors  on  the  memory  of  the  lamented 
Doctor  Elisha  E.  Kane. 

Allow  me  to  say  that  I  feel  highly  flattered  by  this  mark  of  attention, 
and  that  I  would,  with  mu&h  pleasure,  attend  and  join  in  the  tribute  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  an  old  shipmate,  were  it  not  at  present  out  of 
my  power  to  do  so. 

I  am,  very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

GEOBOE  BEAD. 


To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.  Pbok, 
BoBiKT  Maoot, 

Sn>HBT  EOPMAN 


II 


OmmiaK  on  Invitation. 


4 


I 


iFrom  Captain  John  S.  Chautieey,  U.  S.  Navy.} 

Niw  YoEK,  June  8d,  1867. 
Gentuhxh  :  —  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge,  and  I  shall  have  great 
pleasure  in  accepting  your  invitation  to  unite  in  the  proposed  tribute  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  Doctor  Elisha  E.  Eane. 

The  honor  which  he  conferred  upon  humanity  by  the  consecrated  pur- 
pose which  led  him  to  bravo  privation 'and  death,  derives  an  additional 
lustre,  from  the  fact  that  he  belonged  to  a  noble  profession,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  favorable  to  the  growth  and  culture  of  every  high  impulse,  and 
which  is  never  moi  e  worthy  of  itself  than  when  its  members  employ  the 
resources  of  force  aad  pcwer  to  relieve  suffering,  and  promote  the  happi- 
ness of  mankind. 

I  bAve  the  honor  to  be. 

Very  respectfully,  &c., 

JOHN  8.  CHAUNCEY. 


To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.  Peck, 
BoBBBT  Macot, 
Smmr  Eophan. 


:i 


Ommittee  on  Invitation. 


LETTERS. 


15 


857. 


ntion, 
>ute  of 
out  of 


AD. 


867. 

great 
luteof 


T. 


IFrom  Lieutenant  Maury,  U.  S.  Navy.1 

Obsbbvaiobt,  Wabbinoton,  June  S,  1857. 

QiKTLEMiN  :  — It  will  not,  I  regret  to  say,  be  in  my  power  to  participate 
with  you  in/the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  rendering  homage  to  the  merits 
of  our  illufitriouB  fellow-coimtryman,  the  late  Doctor  Kane. 

Did  not  occupations  and  engagements,  which  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  set 
aside,  prevent,  I  would  surely  be  with  you  on  Friday  evening. 

Respectfully,  &c., 

M.  F.  MAURY. 
To  Messrs. 

Chab.  a.  Peck, 

Robert  Macoy,  ^  Ommittee  on  InvHalim 

SiSNBT  EOFMAN, 


Jf, ) 


[From  fVathington  A.  Bartlett,  Lieutenant  U.  S.  Navy.] 

HOTXL  D'IVXB50IB, 

Wabuinoton  Crrr,  June  4th,  1867. 

Gkntldon  :  —  I  have  had  the  honor,  this  moment  to  receive  your  com- 
munication, date  of  firsl  instant,  by  which  you  invite  me,  in  the  name  of 
"the  Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state  of  New  York," 
to  attend  and  assist  in  paying  public  and  appropriate  honors  to  the 
memory  of  the  illustrious  Doctor  Elisha  Kent  Kane,  deceased. 

I  am  highly  honored  by  this  attention,  for  I  have  felt,  in  common  with 
our  whole  country,  that  he  has  honored  his  age  and  nation,  and  has  left 
behind  him  a  brilliancy  of  character,  brighter  and  more  enduring  even, 
thou  the  eternal  fields  of  ice  and  snow  over  which  he  toiled,  so  successfully 
and  gloriously,  in  the  ca'^^e  of  a  world-wide  humanity  and  self-sacrificing 
^evotion  to  the  highest  aspirations  of  science. 

But  his  memory  needs  no  eulogy  at  my  hands.  I  had  not  the  honor  of 
his  percunal  acquaintance,  although  I  did  hope,  at  one  time,  that  I  could 
have  been  permitted  to  share  in  the  triumphs  of  his  rescue  from  the  perils 
to  which  he  was  exposed,  and  from  that  death  to  which  many  who  knew 
not  the  man  and  his  energies,  had  already  consigpaed  him  among  the 
dreary  expanse  of  eternal  ice-fields. 

In  the  interests  of  science,  and  as  a  lover  of  those  who  so  ennoble  man- 
kind, we  could  wish  he  hod  longer  survived  to  enjoy  the  praises  of  his  fel- 
low-countrymen and  the  admiration  of  the  world.  But  in  this  it  is  our 
duty  to  bow  humbly  to  the  Divine  will,  remembering  that  "those  whom 
the  Qoda  love  die  young." 


16 


LETTERS. 


If  possible,  I  shall  be  present  to-morrow  evening  in  New  York,  to  wit- 
ness the  interesting  ceremonies  of  this  occasion. 

With  great  respect,  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen. 

Your  very  obedient  servant, 

WASHINGTON  A.  BAETLETT. 


To  Messrs. 

CiiAB.  A.  Pick, 
Robert  Macot 

SlDMIY  KOPMAN 


:] 


Cbmmttfae  on  Itmtation. 


[Frcm  Major  Qtneral  John  E.  Wool,  U.  8.  Armf/.} 

Hkadqvabtibs,  Dkf't  ov  thi  Ear, 

Tkoy.N.Y.,  June  8d,  1857. 

GENTtEUXN :  —  I  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  invitation  of  the  first 
instant,  to  join  in  the  ceremonies  intended  as  a  testimony  of  the  high  ap- 
preciation entertained  by  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state  of 
New  York  for  their  lamented  and  distinguished  Brother,  Doctor  Elisha  E. 
Kane,  to  take  place  on  Friday  evening,  Jime  fifth. 

I  deeply  regret  that  my  official  duties  will  not  permit  me  to  avail  m}rself 
of  the  oppprtunity  of  doing  honor  to  the  memory  of  your  brother,  who 
was  no  less  distinguished  than  he  rendered  great  and  important  services  to 
bis  country. 

lam,  very reipectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  E.  WOOL,  U.  S.  Amy. 


To  Messrs. 

Cbas.  a.   Pick, 
Robert  MACor, 

SiDNIT  EOFMAM, 


:! 


CbmmiUee  on  Inviiation, 


IFrom  Hon.  Judge  Kant,  Penn,} 

Philasklpbta,  6th  June,  1867. 

GKNTLmns :  —  My  absence  from  home  when  your  note  of  invitation  ar- 
rived, prevented  my  receiving  it  till  this  morning;  but ''  cannot  omit  to 
thank  you  for  it,  and  to  say  how  deeply  I  have  been  moved  by  the  justly 
fraternal  feeling  which  it  represents.  I  believe  I  can  speak,  of  Doctor 
Kane  as  he  was,  for  I  'new  him  in  the  relations  that  determine  the  judg- 
ment as  well  08  in  those  that  afTect  the  heart.  I  cannot  suspect  myself 
of  a  father's  partiality,  when  I  say  that  our  order  never  had  a  brighter  rep- 


wit- 


IiETTERS. 


IT 


presenttttivc,  that  there  was  never  a  better  son  or  brother,  a  truer  friend, 
a  purer  man,  or  a  more  expanded  and  8elf-8acrificing  philanthropist ;  that 
his  memory  is  honored  by  those  who  can  emulate  his  virtues,  and  by  that 
brotherhood  especially  which  adopts  them  as  its  symbols,  gives  assurance 
that  he  did  not  live  or  die  in  vain. 

With  grateful  respect, 

I  am,  gentlemen, 

Tour  obedient  servant, 

J.  K.  KANE. 
To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.   PaoK, 

BoBEST  Macoy,  Y  Oormmttee  of  the  Or.  L.,  Sfc.,  tfe. 

SlONIT  KOPMAN 


;:! 


[From  C,  Edwards  Lesttr,  Etq.'\ 

Spkncbrtown,  Colvkdia  Countt, 
New  York,  Jun^th,  1867. 

Okntlshbn  and  BROTiuns :  —  I  thank  you  for  remembering  me  in  con- 
nexion with  the  honors  you  are  to  show  to  the  memory  and  achievements 
of  our  beloved  and  heroic  brother.  Dr.  Kane.     I  shall  be  with  you  if  I  can. 

No  more  befitting  or  touching  occasion  could  occur  to  call  out  our  friend- 
ship or  our  grief.  Thousands  knew  i  ^m  as  a  friend;  the  uncounted  hosts 
of  the  Masonic  Fraternity  knew  him  ab  a  Brother.  His  contributions  to 
science  laid  the  whole  world  under  obligation  ;  his  writings  embellish 
Literature ;  while  his  whole  life  is  radiant  with  the  divine  spirit  of  Hu- 
manity. We  should  feel  a  new  glow  of  gratitude  and  pleasure  as  we 
commemorate  his  virtues.  He  was  a  cherished  meml)er  of  a  Brotherhood 
on  which  the  sun  and  the  stars  never  go  down  ;  and  from  the  genial  air 
of  our  Lodge-rooms  and  iiresides,  he  carried  our  banner  of  peace  to  the 
frozen  children  of  the  Pole.  Such  are  the  men  who  have  transmitted  the 
torch  of  light  from  age  to  age. 

Most  faithfully,  yours, 

C.  EDWARDS  LESTER. 
To  Messrs. 

Cuas.  a.  Pbck,  \ 

RoBiRT  IIacoy,  |-  CbmmiUee  on  ItwUation, 

SiDNir  KOFMAN,  ) 
2 


18 


LETTXRS. 


[FVom  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  Mau.} 

Mkdtobd,  Mam.,  June  4th,  1867. 
Odttumin  :  — Your  letter  of  the  first  Las  been  forwarded  to  me  at  this 
place,  inviting  me  to  attend  the  commemoration  ceremonies  in  honor  of 
the  late  lamented  Doctor  Kane,  on  the  evening  of  the  fifth,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  "  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state  of  New  York." 
I  much  regret  that  it  is  not  in  my  power  to  be  present  on  the  interesting 
occasion. 

I  remain,  gentlemen  with  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant. 
To  Messrs.  EDWARD  EVERETT. 

Chas.  a.  Pbck,  \ 
RoBEBT  Macoy,    >-  OammUtee  on  Invitation. 

Su>M8T  EOPHAN,  ) 


[From  Waihington  Irving,  Esq.} 

SuNNTSinB,  Juno  6th,  1867. 

Okntlemki  :  —  Your  obliging  invitation  did  not  reach  me  until  last 
evening.  I  regret  to  say  that  engagements  which  detain  me  in  the  coun- 
try will  prevent  my  attendance  at  the  interesting  ceremonies  with  which 
you  propose  to  testify  your  high  appreciation  of  the  meritn  of  our  illus- 
trious and  lamented  countryman. 
Very  respectfully. 

Your  obliged  and  humble  servant. 
To  Messrs.  WASHINGTON  IRVXNG. 

Chas.  A.  Pick,  1 
Robert  Macot,  >•  OmmiUeeon  Invitation. 

SiDNET  KOPMAN,  ) 


[Prom  Hon.  Henry  E.  Davits,  N.  Y.] 

New  Yoke,  June  8d,  1867. 

Gentlehen  :  —  I  am  much  honored  by  your  invitation  to  attend  the  cere- 
monies in  honor  of  the  memory  of  that  distinguished  American,  Doctor 
Elisha  E.  Kane,  and  greatly  regret  that  absence  from  the  city  will  deprive 
me  of  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  the  eloquent  and  accomplished  gentle- 
men who  are  to  address  you  on  the  occasion. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be. 

With  respect,  yours, 

HENRY  E.  DAVIES. 


1 

• 

« 

LlOTKBa.                                                          19 

[From  Pitz  Grtent  Halleck,  Eig.] 

1867. 
e  at  this 
bonor  of 

Guilford,  CosNecrictrr,  July  18th,  1857. 
Qentlemen  :  —  I  deeply  regret  that  your  letter,  inviting  me  to  be  present 

ndpr  thfi 

on  the  fifth  June  ultimo,  at  the  ceremonies,  under  your  auspices,  in  re- 

r York." 
teres  ting 

; 

membrance  of  the  late  Doctor  Kane,  did  not  reach  me  in  time  to  enable 
me  to  avail  myself  of  its  courtesy,  and  to  unite  with  you  in  doing  public 
homage  to  the  memory  of  a  good  and  gallant  Brother  of  the  Brotherhood 
you  represent,  whose  life  was  an   honor  to  that  Brotherhood  and  to 
Humanity,  and  whoso  heroism  of  head  and  heart  and  hand  was  worthy  of 
all  homage. 

With  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  compliment  your  invitation  has 
paid  mc,  I  am,  gentlemen, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

FITZ  GREENE  HALLECK. 

} 

To  Messrs. 

1857. 

CiiAS.  A.  Peck,   J 

ntil  last 
he  coun- 

RoBKiiT  Macov,    \  Ommitiee  on  Invilation. 

SlDNBT   KOPMAN,  }■ 

h  which 

' 

ur  illus- 
TNG. 

■ 

[Prom  Hon.  Fernando  fVood,  N.  Y.] 

Mayor's  Office,  June  4th,  1867. 

Qkntlemsn  :  —  I  regret  that  other  engagements  render  it  impossible  for 
me  to  attend  the  proposed  ceremonies  in  memory  of  the  late  distinguished 
Doctor  Kane,  to  which  you  have  invited  me.    You  propose  a  just  tribute 
to  the  fame  of  one  of  our  country's  most  honored  names. 

It  is  well  to  thus  honor  the  distinguished  dead,  that  others,  struggling 
for  fame  in  the  glorious  paths  of  laudable  ambition,  may  have  an  additional 

1867. 

incentive  to  exertion  and  success ;  and  none  so  proper  to  commemorate 

he  cere- 
Doctor 

-V 

the  virtues  and  greatness  of  him  you  meet  to  mourn,  as  those  who  were 
bound  to  him  in  bonds  of  Masonic  brotherhood. 

deprive 

: 

Very  truly. 

gentle- 
riES. 

1 

FERNANDO  WOOD. 
To  Messrs. 

CnAS.  A.  Peck,  ^ 

Robert  Macot,    |.  Ommittte  on  Invitation, 

SlOMKT  K0FIIA^,    ) 

\ 

• 

20 


LEITERS. 


[Prom  Hon.  Charltt  Scott,  Miuiisippi.] 

Jackson,  June  10th,  1857. 
Dear  Sirs  add  BRoniEns :  —  It  would  be  very  grateful  to  my  feelings, 
could  I  unite  with  my  brethren  of  New  York,  in  paying  a  just  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  so  great  and  bo  good  a  Mason  as  our  lamented  and  de- 
parted brother.  He  was  the  master  of  the  craft  who  braved  the  perils  of 
sea  bnd  climate  iil  search  of  a  lost  and  distinguished  Mason.  The  designs 
which  he  drew  were  good,  and  the  work  was  conducted  in  harmony,  with 
honor  to  himself  and  credit  to  his  country. 

Accept  assurances  of  my  fraternal  regard, 

CHARLES  SCOTT, 
To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.  Peck, 

Robert  Maooy,  ^  OommiUee  on  Invitation. 

SmNlT   EOFMAN, 


'■I 

JJ,) 


i 


IFrom  Joteph  D.  Evant,  P.  G.  M.] 

New  York,  June  5th,  1857. 
Brethren  :  —  I  have  the  honor  of  receiving  your  kind  invitation  to  at- 
tend and  join  in  the  tribute  o^  respect  proposed  to  be  paid  to  our  lamented 
and  distinguished  Brother,  Doctor  £.  E.  Kane,  by  the  Masonic  Fraternity 
of  this  state. 

Although  I  find  it  impossible  to  be  present  this  evening  to  participate  in 
the  ceremonies  of  the  occasion,  I  nevertheless  fully  sympatbize  with  you 
and  the  brotherhood  generally  in  our  irreparable  loss. 

Doctor  Kane  not  only  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  his  countrymen, 
and  with  the  world  at  large,  but  by  the  noble  traits  of  his  social  and 
moral  character,  won  the  afifection  and  respect  of  his  Masonic  brethren. 

It  is  due  to  his  memory  that  the  Fraternity  generally  should  do  honor 
to  so  estimable  a  gentleman  and  so  true  and  warm-hearted  a  Mason. 

With  the  highest  respect,  I  remain,  dear  Brethren, 
Yours,  truly  and  fraternally, 

JOSEPH  D.  EVANS. 
To  Messrs. 

Chas.  A.  Pick,  ' 

Robert  Macot,   ^  OommiUee  on  Invitation. 

Bn>NiT  Eopman, 


LETTERS. 


21 


Nbw  York,  J\mo  3,  1857. 

Vbby  Dkah  Brbtobbn  :  —  Your  fraternal  favor  of  the  first  instant,  In- 
viting mo  to  join  In  the  public  honors  you  propose,  to  the  memory  of  our 
lamented  Brother,  Doctor  Elisha  K.  Kane,  in  this  city,  on  the  fifth  instant, 
has  just  been  handed  Vno,  and  I  avail  myself  of  the  earliest  moment  to  ex- 
press my  acknowledgments  for  your  kind  remembrance,  and  to  testify  my 
warm  appreciation  of  the  praiseworthy  object  you  have  in  view. 

There  are  associations  which  cluster  around  the  name  and  mission  of 
the  departed,  which  bid  mo  to  join  in  this  tribute  of  respect  to  his 
honored  memory.  His  name,  it  appears  to  me,  most  fittingly  deserves  a 
prominent  niche  in  the  loftiest  turrets  of  our  moral  temple.  He  realized 
and  exemplified,  in  his  own  great  character,  that  attribute  of  our  Frater- 
nity which,  in  its  philanthropy,  regards  not  kindred,  country  or  race,  but 
spreads  its  ample  charity  over,  and  covers  with  its  benevolence  the  family 
of  man.  Ho  stopped  not  to  inquire  whether  the  bold  navigator  ho  sought 
was  the  denizen  of  our  own  or  a  foreign  clime  ;  but  he  saw,  in  bJs  mind's 
eye — though  a  Briton,  whom  he  had  never  seen — a  Brother,  pent  up  in  the 
ice-girt  seas  and  eternal  snows  of  the  North,  awaiting,  with  prayerful 
Lope,  to  be  rescued  from  his  long  and  fearful  imprisonment.  He  saw  a 
distant  nation,  aye  the  civilized  world,  looking  with  earnest  solicitude  for 
the  return  of  the  long  lost  mariner.  He  felt  the  pulsations  of  the  heart 
of  society  propounding  the  great  .question,  who  will  go  to  the  rescue  f 
And  last,  he  witnessed  the  ceaseless  watchings  of  imdying  hope  wearing 
away  the  life  of  that  noble  woman  who  had  bid  her  fond  husband  a  God- 
speed in  his  daring  undertaking.  With  these  incentives  prompting  his 
generous  nature,  he  embarked  upon  the  forlorn  hope  with  a  boldness  and 
determination  which  no  fears  could  intimidate  and  no  obstacles  could 
abate.  But  the  history  of  his  perilous  voyage,  his  "Advance"  to  the  high- 
est point  of  northern  latitude  yet  attained  by  man,  his  important  discove- 
ries, his  sufferings,  his  return  and  the  sad  incidents  attending  his  ultimate 
death,  are  all  as  familiar  to  you  as  household  words.  His  hallowed  remains 
hvro  been  gathered  to  the  tomb  ;  yet  his  name,  his  magnanimous  exam- 
ple and  the  history  of  his  noble  deeds  live  after  him, — they  live  in  the  af- 
fections and  grateful  memories  of  his  race,  and  they  will  not  cease  to  live — 
"  Till  the  last  rod  light,  tho  flirewoU  of  ilay, 
"From  tho  rock  anrt  tho  river  Bhall  l:avo  Tadod  away." 
Let  us,  then,  gather  at  the  place  you  have  appointed  and  offer  the  tribute 
of  our  respect  to  his  memory. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  brethren, 

fraternally  yours, 

FINLAY  M.  KING. 


22 


I,ETTKH3. 


[From  R.  L,  Sehoonmaktr,  Orand  Chaplain,] 

Grand  Lodor  Room, 
Niw  York,  May  4th,  1867. 
WomnnprcL  DBoniKnB :  —  I  Imvo  received  your  kind  communication  of 
yesterday,  inviting  mo  to  bo  present  and  officiate  on  the  occasion  of  tho 
funeral  obsequies  to  bo  observed  in  memory  of  our  lieloved  and  dcceaKcd 
Brother,  Doctor  K.  K.  Kauo,  in  the  church  of  tlio  Rev.  Doctor  Chapin,  of 
this  city.  It  will  afford  me  high  satisfiiction  to  bo  present  with  you  on 
that  occasion,  so  deeply  interesting  to  us  as  Americon  citizens ;  but  espe- 
cially as  meniljcrs  of  the  great  Masonic  Fraternity.  It  is  well  thus  to  do 
honor  to  tho  memory  of  one  who  hos  so  deservedly  gained  the  respect  ond 
admiration  of  the  world,  for  his  distinguinhed  scientilic  attainmcnto ;  for 
his  indomitable  energy  and  jierscverance  in  the  prosecution  of  those  high 
purposes  upon  which  his  heart  was  fixed ;  for  his  sterling  and  excellent 
<lualiticB  as  a  man,  and  his  warm  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  our  be- 
loved and  cherished  Institution. 

May  it  be  our  aim  to  emulate  him  in  all  those  respects,  and  with  him,  at 
last,  end  our  weary  pilgrimage  here  on  earth  in  a  triumphant  faith  in  Qod. 

Truly  and  fraternally  yours, 

R.  L.  SCHOONMAKER, 
To  Messro.  Grand  Chaplain. 

Chab.   a.  Peck,  \ 
RoBKRT  Macot,    >■  Qmmittee  on  Invitation. 

SiDNBT  KOPKAN,  I 


[{From  Hon.  Horace  F.  Clark,  N.  Y.] 

Nbw  i'oEK,  June  5th,  1857. 

Gemtlemkn  ;  —  I  thank  you  for  your  invitation  to  attend  this  evening, 
and  unite  with  tho  Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  in  paying  appropriate  honors  to  the  memory  of  Doctor  Elisha 
E.  Kane. 

Your  invitation,  however,  did  not  reach  me  until  this  morning,  and  a 
prior  engagement  from  which  I  cannot  escape,  p'  ^ents  me  from  availing 
myself  of  the  opportunity  afforded  to  join  in  your  tribute  of  respect  to  one 
of  the  most  honored  names  of  the  Republic. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

EORACE  F.  CLARK. 


LnTBRS. 


83 


[Prom  Jokn  /).  IVtUard,  P.  O.  M] 

Nbw  Yobk,  June  4th,  1867. 

GraruonN :  — Should  it  be  pomlblo  for  me  to  remain  in  town,  it  will 
aiTord  mo  very  great  satiafaction  to  accept  the  invitation  with  which  I  have 
been  honore<l,  and  join  in  the  Moxonic  tribute  of  reHpoct  to  the  memory  of 
our  departed  Brother,  Doctor  E^iuha  K.  Kane. 

There  are  few  men  of  our  ago  who,  in  my  CBtimation,  are  so  worthy  of 
every  public  and  every  Masonic  honor.  His  whole  life  was  an  exemplifi- 
cation of  the  beautiful  tenets  of  our  noble  institution.  The  principles  of 
our  Order  tooli  deep  root  in  his  heart ;  they  were  entwined  in  all  his  a£fec- 
tions  ;  and  they  brought  forth  fruit  in  all  his  acts.  How  remarlcably  is 
this  exhibited,  to  the  eye  of  a  Mason,  in  his  lost  great  contribution  to  the 
literature  of  our  country— his  touching  narrative  of  the  expedition  that  he 
commanded.  How  often,  by  little  remarks  and  by  the  narration  of  little 
incidents,  does  he  show  bis  attachment  to  Free  Masonry.  How  ready  was 
he  to  peril  life  in  the  discharge  of  duty,  and /or  M«  rdi^  qf  a  Brother.  And 
how  proud  was  he  to  bear  the  "Masonic  Banner"  1)e8ide  the  stars  and 
stripes  of  our  glorious  Union,  to  the  unknown  regions  of  the  North,  and 
plant  it,  amid  eternal  ice  and  snows,  where  the  footsteps  of  civilized  man 
had  never  before  trod. 

But  I  am  saying  more  than  I  intended.  I  meant  simply  to  express  this 
sentiment,  which  we  all  feel  in  our  hearts,  that  the  rendering  of  these 
public  Masonic  honors  is  alike  due  to  ourselves  and  to  the  memory  of  the 
illustrious  dead. 

Very  respectfully  and  fraternally  yours, 

JOHN  D.  WILLAKD. 


To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.  Pkck, 
ROBKBT  Maoot 
SinNBT  KOPMAN 


:i 


OommUUe  on  InvUaUon. 


[From  Judge  De  Coin,  North  Carolina.1 

OiRARD  HousK— PuiLADKLPUiA,  June  4th,  1857. 

Gentuemkn  andBrotuebs: — I  liave  received  your  respected  invitation 
to  participate  with  the  "Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state  of  New 
York,"  in  the  testimonial  which  they  propose  in  commemoration  of  the 


24 


LETTERS. 


deeds  of  the  (iiceased  and  lamented  Kane  ;  and  I  truly  regret  my  inability 
to  be  present  with  you  in  person,  as  I  shall  be  in  heart. 

It  is  well  and  proper  that  the  Masonic  Fraternity  have  taken  in  hand 
the  pleasurable  task  of  offering  a  tribute,  before  the  world,  to  the  memory 
of  Doctor  Kane,  since  Masonry  had  conferred  its  high  and  honorable  priv- 
ileges and  mysteries  upon  him,  and  he  went  on  his  perilous  expedition 
in  search  of  a  lost  brother  Mason.  The  world  does  not,  and  cannot  know, 
the  philanthropic  teachings  of  our  Order,  or  the  honor  it  confers  upon  its 
votaries,  nor  the  duties  it  imposes,  or  the  true  feeling  by  which  a  true 
Mason  is  actuated  in  the  performance  of  noble  deeds.  A  Leonidas  may 
battle  at  a  Thermopyle  and  inscribe  his  name  upon  the  immortal  scroll, 
either  through  fear  of  Spartan  laws ;  a  love  of  his  country's  glory,  or  the 
pride  of  ambition  ;  but  a  Kane — our  own  la^nented  brother — could  have 
been  actuated  only  by  one  feeling  of  pure  philanthropy ;  a  heart-felt, 
urgent,  ceaseless  wish  to  find  a  lost  brother  and  rescue  him  and  his  fellows 
from  peril,  if  yet  alive  ;  and  this  truth  is  enough  to  elevate  him  far  above 
the  sphere  of  the  warrior  chieftain,  whatever  may  have  been  his  achieve- 
ments in  war.  The  warrior's  province  is  to  destroy  life,  while  the  mission 
of  our  Brother  was  one  of  peace  and  love,  requiring  more  bravery  to  save 
life  and  rescue  it  from  peril,  than  the  warrior  requires  to  go  to  battle. 

It  is  true  that  our  Brother  Kane  proceeded  to  regions  on  which  the  foot- 
step of  civilized  man  had  never  been  imprinted,  and  established  a  fact 
which  had  existed  only  in  speculation  and  surmise,  so  far  as  human  know- 
ledge was  concerned  ;  and  this  alone  will  give  immortality  to  his  name ; 
and  yet,  it  was  but  a  result  from  his  efforts  to  carry  out  his  first,  greatest, 
and  noblest  aim  to  find  a  brother  amid  the  ice  mountains  of  the  north, 
and  bring  him  back,  if  possible,  to  a  realm  of  genial  sunshine  and  a  happy 
home. 

My  letter  is  longer  than  I  intended  to  make  it,  while  I  knew  that  your 
talented  orato'  would  cover  the  whole  ground.  Such  as  it  is,  however,  I 
offer  it  to  you  and  the  "  Craft "  of  New  York,  with  my  warmest  assur- 
ances of  fraternal  regard,  and  sympathy  with  you  in  your  praiseworthy 
demonstration. 

.        .    .,  ,        ROBT.  L.  Dk  com. 

To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.  Peck, 
Robert  Macoy, 

SlDNBY    KOPHAN 


] 


Committee  on  Invitation. 


noaa 


LETTERS. 


25 


[FVotn  Alex.  C.  Morton,  Esq.] 


Nbw  Yoek,  Jun-b  2,  1857. 

Brstiiben: — I  regret  exceedingly  that  my  personal  attendance  will  be 
prevented  at  the  celebration  of  those  honors  which  are  to  be  so  justly  paid 
to  the  memory  and  virtues  of  our  deceased  brother,  Elisiia  K.  Kane.  I 
do,  however,  if  there  be  any  concert  of  admiration  and  love  for  the 
achievements  of  this  noble  martyr  of  science  and  philanthropy,  which 
can  speed  the  thought  onward,  intend  to  join  with  you  in  your  tribute  of 
affection  and  remembrance  to  our  heroic  brother.  It  is  true  that  he  re- 
quires notrophied  urn;  no  sculptured  monument;  no  marble  mausoleum, 
to  keep  his  memory  alive  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men.  If  the  sole 
object  of  our  duty  was  to  lieep  the  name  of  Kanb  immortal  our  efforts 
would  be  superfluous;  but  we  have  duties  to  ourselves,  and  the  neglect  of 
a  public  recognition  of  the  worth;  of  the  toils  and  sacrifices  of  this,  our 
illustrious  brother,  would  be  at  once  a  crime  and  an  infamy  in  the  eyes  of 
manlcind.  I  know  that  the  honors  you  intend  to  celebrate  will  be  meet 
and  becoming  the  seriousness  of  the  occasion,  and  the  dignity  of  the 
character  of  Doctor  Kane.  They  will  be  solemn,  as  being  almost  in  the 
presence  of  death,  and  triumphant,  because  bestowed  on  a  hero.  Doctor 
Kane  has  reared  hi;<  own  mbuumeo^  in  his  liistory  of  the  expedition  under 
his  command.  It  is  a  noble  contribution  to  American  literature;  and  as 
long  as  the  language  of  Siiak^peare  and  Milton  endures,  the  hair-breadih 
escapes  of  Kane  and  his  companions,  amidst  the  crashing  of  giant  bergs, 
and  the  hweeping  of  irresistiblo  floes, — will  bo  read  with  wonder  and 
amazement.  No  epic  can  surpass  the  mterest  of  the  flight  of  the  weary 
voyagers  from  their  vessel,  impiisoncd  in  the  dread  grasp  of  an  icy  dun- 
geon, when  they  saw  that  the  Arctic  summer  would  bring  no  means 
of  escape,  and  that  their  only  refuge  was  to  reach  the  dark  and 
frigid  waves  of  BaflJa's  Bay.  Tlity  trusted  almost  to  a  miracle,  but  their 
faith  was  not  in  vain;  and,  after  many  days  of  toil,  over  ice  and  through 
the  waves,  the  welcome  light  of  port  was  seen  through  the  driving  snow, 
and  they  were  rescued. 

If  this  expedition  had  been  sent  to  solve  a  problem  in  geographical 
science, — to  search  for  gold,  gems  or  commercial  advantages,  Kane  would 
have  achieved,  by  his  daring,  gallantry  and  literary  genius,  the  highest 
meed  of  praise.  Do  not  forget,  brethren,  that  he  whom  you  meet  to  honor 
and  lament,  was  a  volunteer  at  the  call  of  humanity;  that  he  went  into 
those  solitudes,  where  winter  has  set  up  his  everloatiug  reign,  to  rescue  the 


&nUli!UURKSSUSJ!BQzS| 


ZO  LETTERS. 

livL3  of  others,  and  restore  the  gallant  Franklin  to  the  yearning  arms  of 
hi8  constant  and  loving  wife.    Such  fame  as  this  grows  not  on  mortal  soil: 

"  But  lives  ftnd  spreads  aloft  by  those  pure  eyes, 
Anil  perfect  witness  of  all-judging  Jovo." 

He  has  been  called  from  his  labors  by  the  Supreme  Architect,  and  his 
reward  is  far  beyond  what  we  can  bestow.  AVe  may  indeed  twine  the 
laurel  around  his  marine  effigy,  but  the  spirit  of  our  brother  walks  with 
the  wise  and  good  men  of  old,  and  his  brow  is  unshaded  by  the  immortal 
amaranths  that  crown  it.  We  may  bid  the  polished  shaft  be  gilded  with 
inscriptions,  but  the  name  of  Kane  is  left  on  that  mighty  glacier  which 
shuts  the  gate  of  the  polar  sea.  It  will  melt,  but  it  will  be  only  when 
the  world,  at  the  command  of  the  Qrand  Master  of  life,  is  passing  away. 

Fraternally,  yours, 

ALEX.  C.  MORTON. 
To  Messrs. 

Chas.  a.  Pkck,    J 

Robert  Macoy,    \  Committee  on  luvitation. 

Sidney  Kofhan,  ) 


[Jf'Vwn  Hon.  Joshua  O.  Ferrit,  Conneeticut.1 

Stampoed,  June  3,  1867. 

Gentlemen  :  —  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  unite  with  the  Fra- 
ternity of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state  of  New  York,  at  their 
meeting,  on  the  evening  of  the  fifth  instant,  to  testify  their  high  appre- 
ciation of  the  lamented  and  distinguished  Doctor  Elisha  K.  Kane,  and  to 
bestow  appropriate  public  honors  upon  his  memory  ;  but  previous  and  in- 
dispensable jiiijagements  will  require  me  to  be  elsewhere  on  that  evening, 
and  deprive  me  of  the  honor  of  uniting  with  such  an  association,  for  such 
a  purpose. 

Most  respectfully,  yours,  &c  , 

JOSHUA  O.  FERRIS. 
To  Messrs. 

CifAS.  A.  Peck,    ) 

RoBEBT  Macoy,    }  Committee  or.  Invitation. 


Sidney  Kofhan, 


A 


LETTERS. 


2t 


IFrom  Rob  Morrii,  Kentucky. '\ 

LoDQETON,  Kentucky,  June  5,  185i. 

Sius  AND  BnornEBs :  —  It  is  with  profound  regret  that  I  have  to  express 
to  you  my  inability  to  accept  your  liind  Invitation  of  the  first  instant  To 
join  in  a  tribute  of  respect  to  one,  whose  character  I  have  so  much  ad- 
mired, as  Doctor  Kane's,  were  a  duty  I  should  make  any  reasonable  sacri- 
fice to  perform ;  how  much  more  to  unite  with  so  distinguished  a  body  of 
the  Masonic  Fraternity  as  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York  ;  but  other  en- 
gagements render  it  impossible. 

Allow  me  to  say  to  you,  gentlemen  of  the  Committee,  and  through  you 
to  the  illustrious  body  you  represent,  that  we.  Western  and  Southern 
Masons,  have  followed  the  body  of  Bro.  Elisha  K.  Kane  from  New  Orleans, 
where  it  was  landed,  to  the  point  which  separates  the  Extern  from  the 
Western  states.  At  every  landing  on  the  great  rivers,  at  every  railway 
station  on  our  iron  roads,  crowds  of  loving  Masons  have  gathered  around 
that  body,  weeping  that  one  so  young  should  have  thus  passed  beyond  us, 
triumphing  that  his  departure  was  not  too  soon  for  his  own  glory.  Tlius 
wfl  claim,  that  though  we  cannot  be  with  you  in  person,  we  will  not  be  ab- 
sent in  admiration  and  respect. 


IS. 


J 


For  myself,  my  admiration  for  the  intrepid  navigator,  has  made  his 
history  a  familiar  theme  in  my  household.  My  children  were  taught  to 
f  illow  him  upon  his  dangerous  track  and  they  rejoiced  with  him  upon  his 
glorious  return.  As  far  buck  as  1853,  I  ventured  to  express  that  admira- 
tion publicly  in  these  poor  words.  The  prophecy  truly  has  failed  but  the 
scnument  is  eternal,  "Sir  John  Franklin,  whose  protracted  absence  upon 
an  expedition  to  the  Northern  coasts  of  America  has  aroused  the  solicitude 
of  the  world,  is  a  Freemason.  Doctor  E.  K.  Kane,  the  young  and  enthu- 
siastic traveler,  whose  recent  departure  in  search  of  Franklin  has  been 
chronicled  throughout  the  land,  is  bound  in  the  same  holy  commiinion, 
and  in  token  thereof  bears  our  symbol  of  the  square  and  compass  upon  hi» 
furetail.  What  a  meeting  will  it  be,  when  amidst  Arctic  night  and  desola- 
tion these  two  Masons  shall  come  together  and  grasp  the  brotherly  hand!" 

"  Midst  polar  snow^  and  solittido, 

Bglil  weary  years  tlie  voyagor  Uos 
Ice  bound  upon  the  frozen  Ilood, 

Till  oxpci't:itlon  vonislKW. 
Ah  I  ninny  a  hoporul  tear  is  shod 
For  bim  thug  uumberod  with  the  dead. 


38 


LETTERa. 

Mid.st  Joys  of  homo  and  woll-carncd  Ibrao, 
Young,  healthful,  honored,  there  is  one 

Who  pines  to  win  a  nobler  name, 
And  feels  hl.s  glory  but  begun. 

Hia  hcai  t  is  with  the  voyager,  lost 

Midst  Polar  solitude  and  fVost. 

Is  there  some  chain  of  sympathy 
Flung  thus  across  the  frozen  seas  f 

Is  there  some  strange,  mysterious  tie 
That  joins  these  daring  men?  there  is  : 

This,  honored,  healthful  free  from  want 

Is  hound  to  that  in  covenant  I 

For  though  those  twain  have  never  mot, 
To  press  the  hand  or  join  the  heart, 

In  unison  tliolr  splriU  boat, 
Brothers  in  the  Masonic  art  t 

One  in  the  hour  of  Joy  and  peace 

One  in  the  hour  uf  deep  distress . 

The  voice  fi-om  off  tho  frozen  flood 
Apiicals  in  trumi)ct-tonos  for  uiil  ; 

'Tis  heard,  'tis  nuswored— swill  abroad, 
Tho  Hag  is  flung  the  sail  is  spread — 

That  Hag,  that  sail,  an  which  wo  sea 

The  emblems  of  Freemasonry. 

Away  on  glorious  errand  now 

Thou  hero  of  a  sense  of  right  I 
Success  be  on  thy  galluut  prow. 

Thou  greater  than  tlie  sons  of  might  I 
Thy  flag  the  banner  of  the  Free, 
Oh  may  it  lead  to  victory. 

And  by  that  symbol,  best  of  those 
Timohonoreil  on  our  ancient  wall^ 

And  by  the  prayer  that  ceaseless  flows 
Upward  from  every  llystic  hall — 

And  by  thine  own  stout  heart  and  hand 

Known,  marked  and  loved  in  every  land — 

Thou  shall  succeed — Ills  drooping  eyo 
yhall  cali;h  thy  banner  broad  and  bright ; 

Tliose  symbols  he  shall  yet  descry 
And  know  a  Ilrmher  in  the  sight. 

Ah  !  noble  pair,  who  hai)|)ier  then 

Of  those  two  daring,  dauntless  men  I 

Vei7  fraternally,  yours, 


v 

^ 


ROB  MORRIS. 


To  Messrs. 

CiiAS.  A.  Pbck, 
Robert  Macot, 

SiDNKY  KOPJtAN, 


Cbmmittee  on  Invitation. 


tLSSSESS^SSSL 


mass 


[S. 


LETTERS. 


29 


[From  Hon.  Walter  Cottman,  Tenntssee.'] 

New  York,  June  3d,  1857. 

Gestlemen  :— Your  note,  inviting  ir.e  to  be  present  at  the  time  and  plnce 
appointed  by  the  "Fraternity  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  the  state 
of  New  Yorli,"  to  "  testify  their  appreciation  of  our  late  lamented  Bro. 
Doctor  Elisha  K.  Kane,"  haa  just  been  read.  I  fully  sympathize  with  the 
feelings  which  have  prompted  the  action  of  the  Fraternity  in  this  matter. 
We  honor  ourselves  in  paying  a  proper  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of 
one  in  whose  character,  both  moral  and  intellectual,  we  find  bo  muyh 
worthy  of  admiration  and  imitation. 

I  sliall  gladly  avail  myself  of  your  kind  invitation  to  be  present,  and 
participate  in  the  sublime  and  impressive  ceremonies  of  our  Ancient  and 
Honorable  Order. 

Very  truly. 

Your  friend  and  brother, 

WALTER  COLEMAN. 


To  Messrs. 

Chas.  A.  Pkck, 
Robert  Macoy, 

SrDNEY    KOPMAN, 


! 


Ommittee  on  Imitation. 


{From  N.  P.  tVillii.] 

Idlewild,  June  4th,  1867. 

Gentlemen  :  —  I  received  your  polite  and  honoring  invitation  to-day, 
and  am  exceedingly  sorry  that  it  irf  out  of  my  power  to  accept  it.  'llie 
ceremony  is  one  which  every  way  interests  my  respect  and  sympathies, 
and  I  rejoice  in  witnessing  the  tribute  to  such  a  man,  paid  by  so  estimable 
and  honorable  a  society. 

With  thanks  for  the  compliment  to  myself,  expressed  in  your  valued 
invitation,  I  remain,  gentlemen, 

Yours,  with  highest  respect, 

N.  P.  wnjjs. 

To  Messrs. 

ClIAB.  A. 

Robert  Macot,    }■  (hmmiUee  on  InvUaUon, 
*       Sidney 


k.  Peck,  \ 
?  Macot,    > 

KoPMAN,  ) 


80 


LETTERS. 


[From  Hon.  Henry  G.  Btardiley,  N.  F.] 

Hamilton,  New  York,  June  3,  1857. 

Genti.emev  :  —  I  am  in  the  receipt  of  yours  of  the  first  instant,  extend- 
ing to  me  an  invitation  to  unite  with  you  and  other  brethren  of  the 
"  Mystic  Tie,"  on  the  evening  of  the  fifth  instant,  in  tlie  duo  obserN'ance 
of  appropriate  honors  to  the  memory  of  our  late  distinguished  Brother  and 
philanthropist,  Doctor  E.  K.  Kane. 

Be  assured,  Jlessieurs,  I  appreciate  the  honor,  and  reciprocate  the  fra- 
ternal warmth  of  lieart  manifested  in  your  note  of  invitation,  and,  Provi- 
dence permitting,  shall  be  present,  on  that  interesting  occasion,  with  the 
Grand  Lodge  and  others  of  the  Fraternity,  to  join  in  that  heart-felt  tri- 
bute, so  justly  due  to  the  memory  of  him  who,  in  his  early  manhood, 
prompted  by  sympathy  for  suffering  hum.vnity,  and  an  ardent  desire  to 
entwine  a  fresh  laurel  leaf  of  geographical  science  ground  our  country's 
escutcheon,  fearlessly  traversed  the  Polar  seas;  scaled  the  glaciers  of  the 
Arctic  regions,  and  planted  our  country's  banner  on  an  eternal  rock  of  ice, 
at  a  liiglier  elevation  than  was  ever  before  attained  by  civilized  man. 
Who,  from  that  frozen  eminence,  with  eagle  eye,  discovered  tlie  "  open 
Polar  sea,"  demonstrating  a  problem,  or  theory  in  geographical  science, 
tliat  had  ever  before  been  deemed  hypothetical.  For  tjiis  alone  he  de- 
served a  lofty  niche  in  the  temple  of  our  country's  illustrious  sons. 

But,  when  we  unite  with  this,  that  pliilanthropic  spirit,  (a  cherished 
principle  of  our  institution,)  which  first  inspired  his  soul  to  brave  the  dan- 
gers of  those  unexplored  regions  of  the  Arctic,  to  the  rescue  of  suiTering 
humanity,  we  find  in  him  those  coml)ined  elements  that  are  ever  ennobling 
to  man.    And  such  was  Doctor  Kane. 

With  great  respect. 

Yours,  fraternally, 

HENRY  G.  BEARDSLEY. 


To  Messrs. 

CnAS.  A.  Pbck, 
ROUEUT  Macov, 
Sidney  Kopman, 


Committee  on  Invitation. 


A  HYMN, 


WRITTKN   IIY  BRO.   UXO.  f.  HOKHIH,   WAS  Tmn 

SUNG  BY  MRS.   SPROSTQN,  MISS  QEER  AND  MESSRS,  TAYLOR  AND  WILLIAMS. 

"  Maji  (liclli  and  wastelh  away, 

And  where  is  lie?" — Hark  I  from  the  Fkica, 
I  liear  a  voice  answer  and  any, 

"Tlie  spirit  of  man  never  dies  : 
His  body,  wliieh  came  from  the  ourth, 

Must  mingle  again  with  tlic  sod  ; 
But  his  soul,  wlilcli  in  heaven  had  birth, 

Returns  to  the  bosom  of  Uou." 

Tlie  sky  will  be  burnt  as  a  scroll, 

The  earth,  wrapt  in  flames,  will  expire  ; 
But,  freed  from  all  shackles,  the  soul, 

Will  rise  In  the  midst  of  the  lire. 
Tlien,  Brothers,  mourn  not  for  the  dead, 

Who  rest  from  their  labors,  for(,'iveu : 
Learn  this,  fl"om  your  Bible,  Instead, 

The  grave  is  the  gateway  tf>  Heaven. 

0  IjOKD  God  Auiioirr\- !  to  Tlioo 

Wo  turn  OS  our  solace  above; 
Tlie  waters  may  fall  from  the  sea,  » 

But  not  from  thy  fountains  of  love: 
Oh  teach  us  thy  will  to  obey, 

And  sing  with  one  heart  and  accord, 
"Tlie  LoRi)  gives — the  I/jko  takes  aWiiy, 

And  praised  be  the  name  of  the  Ixiiu)." 

The  M.  W.  Grand  Master  then  introduced  the  distinguished 
orator,  Hon.  Brother  E.  "W.  Andrews,  who  proceeded,  for  more 
than  an  hour,  to  delineate  the  life  and  portray  the  character  of 
our  lamented  Brother  Kane  ;  the  audience  testifying  their  deep 
interest  in  the  theme  by  the  most  undivided  and  rapt  attention, 
only  broken  by  an  occasional  murmer  of  suppressed  applause  at 
the  impassioned  eloquence  oi  the  speaker. 

At  the  close  ji  the  eulogy  the  benediction  was  pronounced  by 
the  Grand  Oliaplain,  Rt.  W.  and  Rev.  John  Gray,  and  the  au- 
dience uispersed  as  the  rich,  full  harmony  of  the  governmental  band 
resounded  through  the  arches  above,  in  a  sad  requiem 

So    tie   memory    ot 
KANE. 


:. 


r-«!yai...i 


EULOGY. 


[ 


Most  Worshipful  Grand  Master, 
Brethren  op  the  Grand  Lodge,  Xnd  op  our 
Ancient  and  Honorable  Fraternity  generally  : 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — 

Wc  are  assembled  within  these  sacred  walls  tonight 
to  render  our  humble  tribute  of  affection  and  honor  to  the 
memory  of  our  lamented  brother.  Dr.  Kane.  Rarely  has 
a  death  occurred  which  has  touched  with  so  deep  and  uni- 
versal a  sorrow  the  heart  of  man.  Cut  down  in  the  morn- 
ing of  his  active  life,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  career  which 
had  already  given  him  place  among  the  most  beloved  and 
honored  of  men,  and  which  was  rich,  almost  beyond  paral- 
lel, in  its  promise  for  the  future,  his  untimely  fall  has  called 
forth  the  strongest  and  tenderest  expressions  of  grief 
throughout  the  civilized  world. 

Science  mourns  the  loss  of  one  of  her  most  earnest  and 
successful  votaries ;  Philanthropy  weeps  the  death  of  one 
who  was  ever  eager  to  obey  her  heavenly  behests ;  and 
Religion,  sad  at  the  necessary  sacrifice  of  such  a  life,  but 
joyful  at  the  signal  triumph  of  her  own  divine  power  in  his 
peaceful  death,  stands  by  his  tomb,  pointing  to  the  skies. 

And,  brethren,  our  oivn  VetieraMe  Order,  whose  mystic 
tie  spans  the  earth,  binding  in  sweet  and  sacred  unison, 
thousands  of  hearts  in  every  clime — our  own  VeneraMe 
Order,  ever  the  true  friend  and  ally  of  Science,  Philan- 
thropy and  Religion — everywhere    bow  their  heads   in 


EULOOT. 


83 


. 


grief,  lamenting  the  early  fall  of  a  brother,  whose  life, 
already  illustrious  by  its  beautiful  harmony  with  our  pure 
and  exalted  principles,  promised  to  give  thorn,  in  the  fu- 
ture, even  a  brighter  illustration,  a  more  commanding 
power. 

Under  this  impulse  of  grief,  we  meet  in  "  a  Lodge  of 
Sorrow"  tonight.  Wo  meet  to  spend  this  hour  in  the  calm, 
though  mournful  contemplation  of  a  history,  crowded,  during' 
its  brief  continuance,  with  the  most  interesting  events; 
marked  by  the  noblest  deeds;  adorned  by  the  purest  virtues. 
"We  meet  not  to  praise  the  dead  ;  our  praise  could  add  not 
the  faintest  ray  to  the  brightness  that  encircles  his  memory; 
we  meet  rather  to  study  a  life  which  we  may  safely  imitate — 
a  character  formed  to  give  higher  elevation  and  dignity  to 
our  nature — a  death  that  may  teach  us  how  to  die. 

I  respectfully  ask  your  attention,  therefore,  while  I  give, 
as  appropriate  to  the  present  occasion,  and  indeed  necessary 
to  a  correct  estimate  of  his  character,  a  brief  outline  of  the 
eventful  life  of  our  departed  brother. 

Dr.  Kane  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  Phila- 
delphia on  the  3d  of  February,  1822.  During  his  early 
years,  his  character  was  marked  by  that  filial  tenderness 
and  fraternal  affection,  which  afterward,  amid  all  the  stern 
realities  of  his  manhood,  shed  such  a  charm  over  his  life. 
As  illustrative  of  this  trait  of  his  character,  I  may  say, 
that  from  the  first  years  of  his  remembrance,  to  the  closing 
scene  of  his  life,  home — that  word  which  is  the  pride  and 
boast  of  our  vernacular  tongue — was  to  him  the  central 
spot  of  interest  and  love.  To  that  spot,  amid  all  his  wan- 
derings and  all  t|e  startling  vicissitudes  of  his  wonderful 
career,  his  heart  ever  turned  with  sacred  pleasure.  But 
these  sentiments  of  his  nature,  influential  as  they  were  in 
giving  character  to  his  life,  could  not  prevent  the  early  and 

8 


84 


KULOOT. 


rapid  development  of  that  spirit  of  adventure  and  love  of 
bold  investigation,  which  afterward  led  him  through  the 
remotest  and  most  mysterious  regions  of  the  earth.    Says 
one  who  knew  him  well,  "  his  boyhood  was  vigorous,  ar- 
dent in  pursuit,  bold  in  purpose,  daring  in  action,  keen  in 
enjoyment."    At  a  very  early  period,  the  study  of  the  natu- 
re.. _^iences  became  his  favorite  pursuit;  and  he  attained  to 
a  high  degree  of  proficiency  in  chemistry,  geology,  miner- 
alogy, astronomy,  surveying  and  navigation.    While  yet  a 
mere  youth,  he  joined  in  geological  explorations  of  the 
mountainous  regions  of  his  native  stat«  and  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  of  Virginia.    In  1843,  he  graduated  with  honor  from 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  immediately  entered 
upon  a  course  of  professional  study  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  same  institution.    His  student  life  was  one  of 
close  confinement  and  intense  application,  which,  it  is  said, 
somewhat  impaired  his  constitution,  so  that  when  he  left 
the  walls  of  the  university,  he  was  far  fi*om  being  in  robust 
health.    But  the  restless  energies  of  his  nature  demanded 
activity,  and  he  applied  at  once  for  service  in  the  navy.   In 
this  application  he  was  successful,  and  was  appointed  on 
the  diplomatic  staff  of  the  first  American   Embassy  to 
China,  as  Assistant  Surgeon.    While  thus  in  the  East,  we 
find  him  entering,  with  characteristic  zeal  and  boldness, 
upon  that  career  of  exploration  and  adventur  ,  which  so 
distinguished  his  whole  subsequent  life.    He  visited  all  the 
accessible  portions  of  China  ;  traveled  through^  the  island 
of  Ceylon — the  Phillippine  Group — traversed  the  plains  of 
India — ascended  the  Himalayas — ventured  fearlessly  among 
tribes  of  the  most  savage  races — waiwered  amidst  the 
sacred  mysteries  of  Egypt — surveyed  the  regions  of  the 
Upper  Nile,  and  penetrated  some  of  the  darkest  wilds  of 
Africa.    It  was  during  these  adventures  that  he  performed 


ECLOOT. 


35 


the  daring  feat,  for  the  first  time  performed  by  civilized 
man,  of  going  down  into  the  crater  of  Tael,  on  the  island 
of  Luzon.  Suspended  by  a  bamboo  rope  from  a  crag 
which  projected  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  interior  scoria;, 
he  was  let  down  amidst  the  heated  and  noisome  gases  wliich 
.escaped  from  the  hidden  volcanic  fires  beneath.  Here, 
although  scarcely  able  to  breathe  in  the  poisoned  atmos- 
phere around  him,  he  remained  till  he  had  made  a  sketch  of 
the  scene,  and  collected  the  specimens  he  wished,  when  he 
was  drawn  up,  amidst  the  admiring  plaudits  of  the  surround- 
ing natives.  Subsequently,  having  obtained  his  discharge 
from  the  embassy,  he  visited  Greece ;  traveled  on  foot 
through  its  scenes  of  deepest  historic  and  classic  interest ; 
made  a  brief  sojourn  in  some  of  the  countries  of  Europe, 
and  reached  the  United  States  in  1846.  Shortly  afterward 
he  was  ordered  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  while  engaged 
in  exploring  portions  of  this  dangerous  coast,  he  was 
severely  attacked  by  the  terrible  fever  peculiar  to  this 
clime,  and  in  1847  was  sent  home  an  invalid.  Our  war 
with  Mexico  was  now  in  progress,  and  Dr.  Kane,  before  he 
had  regained  strength  scarcely  sufficient  to  leave  his  room, 
applied  to  President  Polk  for  active  service  in  the  cam- 
paign. His  application  was  successful,  and  he  was  sent  to 
Mexico,  charged  with  important  dispatches  to  Gen.  Scott. 
While  passing  through  the  enemy's  country,  in  the  execu- 
tion of  this  trust,  he  was  wounded,  and  his  horse  shot  under 
him  ;  he  continued  in  the  service,  however,  until  the  close 
of  the  campaign.  Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
he  was  detailed  for  service  on  the  coast  survey,  and  by  his 
great  industry  and  varied  scientific  attainments,  rendered 
valuable  aid  to  that  important  corps.  "  On  the  12th  of 
May,  1850,"  to  use  his  own  language,  "  while  bathing  in  the 
tepid  waters  of  the  GuL  of  Mexico,  I  received  one  of  those 


80 


BULOOY. 


courteous  little  epistles  from  Washington,  which  the  eloo- 
tric  telegraph  has  made  so  familiar  to  naval  officers.  It 
detailed  me  from  the  coast  survey,  and  ordered  me  to  pro- 
ceed forthwith  to  New  York,  for  duty  upon  the  Arctic  Ex- 
pedition. Seven  and  a  half  days  later,  I  had  accomplished 
my  overland  journey  of  thirteen  hundred  miles,  and  in  forty, 
hours  more  our  squadron  was  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
United  States.  The  department  had  calculated  my  travel- 
ing time  to  a  nicety." 

This  Arctic  Expedition  was  the  first  United  States  Grin- 
nell  Expedition,  sent  forth  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin. 
To  penetrate  the  mysteries  of  that  sea  which  lies  inclosed 
between  the  northern  shores  of  Asia,  Europe  and  America, 
and  discover,  through  its  waters,  a  northwest  passage,  has 
for  a  long  period,  enlisted  the  efforts  of  European  govern- 
ments, and  awakened  extensively  the  spirit  of  private  en- 
terprise and  adventure.  Especially  has  this  been  true  of 
England  and  her  daring  and  accomplished  navigators,  dur- 
ing the  past  century.  Under  such  gallant  commanders  aA 
Gilbert,  Hudson,  Parry,  Ross,  Ri.  ibabdson  and  others, 
have  expeditions  been  sent  forth,  <ietermined  to  break 
through  the  icy  gates  of  the  north,  and  reveal  her  secrets 
to  the  world.  But  while  they  had  made  valuable  additions 
to  our  geographical  and  hydrographical  knowledge  of  the 
Arctic  world,  they  had  all  failed  to  penetrate  that  icy  an- 
nulus  or  belt  which  surrounds  what  is  now  found  to  be  an 
open  Polar  sea.  Among  these  Arctic  explorers,  Sir  John 
Franklin  had,  for  many  years,  borne  conspicuous  rank. 
Three  times  had  he  been  forth  to  solve  the  Arctic  problem, 
and  had  ever  distinguished  himself  by  his  bold  and  valua- 
ble researches  ir.  that  perilous  field  of  scientific  toil.  In 
1844  he  was  arypointed  by  the  British  government  to  the 
command  of  his  final  expedition.    With  two  noble  vessels, 


EULOOT. 


V^ 


thoroughly  fitted  for  the  dangerous  service ;  with  a  care- 
fully selected  crew  of  a  hundred  and  thirty-six  men,  and  as 
accomplished  a  band  of  officers  as  ever  went  forth  on  a 
voyage  of  peril,  Sir  John,  on  the  25th  of  May,  1846, 
weighed  anchor  and  sailed  for  the  Arctic  Circle.  On  the 
26th  of  July  following,  his  ships  were  seen,  moored  to  an 
iceberg  in  the  upper  waters  of  Baffin's  Bay,  waiting  for  the 
breaking  up  of  the  mighty  plains  of  ice  beyond.  From 
that  day  the  expedition  has  not  been  seen.  After  the  lapse 
of  three  years,  with  no  tidings  from  the  galh  Jt  party,  the 
English  government  dispatched  three  separate  expeditions 
for  their  rescue ;  in  less  than  two  years  these  had  all  re- 
turned without  success.  The  fate  of  the  Franklin  Expedi- 
tion had  now  become  a  subject  of  profound  interest  to  the 
civilized  world  ;  the  generous  sympathies  of  men  had  every- 
where become  deeply  enlisted.  In  the  beautiful  language 
of  Dr.  Kane  himself,  "  Science  felt  for  its  votaries — human- 
ity mourned  its  fellows,  and  an  impulse,  holier  and  more 
energetic  than  either,  invoked  a  crusade  of  rescue." 

At  this  juncture,  that  noble-hearted  woman,  the  wife  of 
the  lost  navigator,  under  the  power  of  impulses  in  the  high- 
est degree  honorable  to  her  nature,  made  her  appeal  to  our 
nation,  as  brethren  of  the  kindred  tie,  to  join  in  the  enter- 
prise of  delivering  the  wanderers  from  a  dreary  grave. 
That  appeal,  full  of  the  eloquence  of  deep,  holy  feeling, 
awakened  in  millions  of  hearts  emotions  of  unwonted  power. 
We  all  remember  how  our  own  feelings  were  stirred  to 
their  deepest  depths  as  we  read  its  words  of  trembling  hope, 
anxious  love  and  tander  appeal,  and  how  universal  was  the 
sentiment  amongst  us,  that  our  Republic  should  bear  an  im- 
mediate and  prominent  part  in  this  enterprise  of  mercy. 
But  "  compliance  with  the  necessary  forms  of  legislation," 
united  with  other  difficulties,  which  I  need  not  here  name, 


38 


EULOOY, 


caused  delay  in  the  action  of  Congress ;  the  bill  lingered 
on  its  passage  ;  the  season  fur  sending  out  an  expedition, 
that  year,  was  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  and  the  heart  of 
the  nation  was  becoming  sad,  lest  no  worthy  response  was 
to  be  made  by  America  to  the  appeal  of  that  devoted  wife. 
But  at  this  trying  hour  there  came  a  response  from  an 
American  heart,  which,  while  it  surprised  by  its  more  than 
regal  munificence,  awakened  an  admiration  which  will  be 
perpetuated  as  long  as  the  faithful  page  of  history  shall 
transmit  deedo  of  noblest  virtue.  The  name  of  Henry 
Gbinnell  is  one  which  every  American  is  proud  to  speak 
— a  name  to  which  the  civilized  world  pays  cheerful  honor. 
By  the  gratuitous  offer  to  the  government  of  two  of  his  own 
vessels,  completely  furnished  for  the  Arctic  service,  aU  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  the  expedition  were  removed,  and 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Federal  government,  it  was  at 
once  sent  forth  ou  its  mission  of  ^humanity.  Under  the 
command  of  Lieut.  Db  Haven,  the  squadron  sailed  on  the 
22d  of  May,  1850.  Dr.  Kane  was  appointed  the  senior 
medical  oflBcer  of  the  expedition ;  subsequently  he  became 
itii  historian,  in  a  volume,  which  has  bepn  read  in  every  land 
with  the  deepest  interest.  To  his  fidelity,  skill  and  wonder- 
ful success  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  during  the 
trying  scenes  of  their  voyage  of  eighteen  months,  the  com- 
manding officer  bear  s  the  highest  testimony,  in  his  report  to 
the  Naval  Department  of  our  government.  The  expedition, 
on  its  return,  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  first  of  October, 
1851.  Time  will  not  permit  me  even  to  allude  to  the  sce:^'  s 
of  peril  and  suffering  through  which  this  horoic  band  were 
called  to  pass  ;  the  mighty  labors,  the  noble  deeds  of  self- 
sacrificing  heroism  they  performed.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
all  which  the  highest  gallantry,  courage,  skill  and  fidelity, 
both  of  officers  and  crew,  ttimulated  by  the  intensest  im- 


{ 


:^m 


EC  ,OGT. 


39 


pulues  of  a  lofty  humanity,  could  accomplish,  under  the 
circumstances  which  surrounded  them,  was  attained  by  this 
first  United  States  Grinnell  Expedition.  True,  it  resolved 
not  the  painful  mystery  which  hung  around  the  fate  of 
Franklin;  but  it  made  valuable  additions  to  our  geograph- 
ical knowledge  oi  the  Arctic  regions,  especially  of  the 
regions  lying  north  and  northwest  of  Wellington  Channel; 
and  its  discovery,  in  conjunction  with  the  English  squadrons 
under  Capt.  Sir  John  Ross  and  Capt.  Penny,  of  the  first 
wintering  place  of  Sir  John  and  the  graves  of  three  of  his 
crew,  at  the  entrance  of  Wellington  Channel,  revealed  the 
course  he  had  taken  in  his  explorations,  and  awakened  new 
hopes  of  his  ultimate  discovery  and  rescue.  In  the  heart 
of  Dr.  Kane  these  hopes  took  deep  root,  and  ripened  al- 
most into  a  delightful  assurance.  Scarcely  had  he  stepped 
on  his  native  shore,  before  he  began  to  mature  the  scheme 
of  a  renewed  e£Fort  to  rescue  the  imprisoned  band,  or  if 
they  were  no  longer  among  the  living,  to  solve  the  mystery 
of  their  fate.  He  declares  that  "  his  mind  could  never  re- 
alize the  complete  catastrophe,  the  destruction  of  all 
Franklin's  crew."  "I  think  of  them  ever  with  hope — I 
sicken,  not  to  be  able  to  reach  them."  With  these  senti- 
ments, he  found  the  heart  of  the  munificent,  philanthropic 
Grisnell  beating  in  unison  ;  and  his  brig  "  Advance,"  al- 
ready so  thoroughly  tested  by  the  perils  of  Arctic  naviga- 
tion, was  unhesitatingly  placed  by  this  gentleman  at  Dr. 
K's  disposal,  for  the  humane  though  perilous  service.  Aided 
also  in  his  outfit  by  the  liberality  of  George  Peabody, 
Esq.,  of  London,  whom  Dr.  Kane  justly  styles  "  the  gener- 
ous representative  of  many  American  sympathies,"  and  by 
various  scientific  associations  and  distinguished  friends  of 
science,  who  made  valuable  contributions  to  the  expedition, 
he  was  ready,  on  the  thirtieth  of  May,  1853,  to  set  forth 


40 


EDLOGT, 


on  his  voyage  of  love.  The  Naval  Department  of  onr 
government  had  already  given  its  formal  sanction  to  the 
expedition,  and  appointed  Dr.  Kane  to  its  command,  fur- 
nishing ten  of  the  eighteen  volunteers  who  embarked  on  the 
voyage.  A  few  days  before  the  sailing  of  the  expedition, 
the  fact  was  announced  to  Arcana  Lodge,  of  this  city,  that 
Dr.  Kane  was  a  member  of  the  Mason 'c  Fraternity.  This 
announcement  produced  a  deep  sensation  among  the  mem- 
bers, and  resolutions,  expressive  of  their  high  admiration 
of  his  character,  and  their  profound  sympathy  with  his  gen- 
erous, self-sacrificing  plans  and  labors  for  the  rescue  of  a 
lost  brother,  were  unanimously  adopted  and  transmitted  to 
him  at  Philadelphia.    He  returned  the  following  reply  : 

Philadelphia,  May  12th,  1855. 

Dear  Sir  and  Bro/. — I  have  received  your  eloquent  letter,  inclosing 
the  resolutions  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Arcana  Lodge. 
These  resolutions,  expressive  o{  the  sympathy  of  onr  brethren  with  the 
object  of  the  expedition  under  my  command,  arc  to  me  especially  pleasing. 
I  shall  comuiunicate  them  formally  to  the  officers  and  men,  as  an  indica- 
tion of  valued  sympathy  at  home,  and  a  useful  stimulus  in  the  search  after 
our  lost  brother  Sir  John  Franklin. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Fuithfilly,  your  friend  and  bro., 

E.  K.  KANK 

To  Sidney  Kopman,  Sec'y  Arcana  liOdge. 

On  the  evening  before  he  sailed,  the  members  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  New  York  and  a  large  number  of  the  per- 
sonal friends  of  Dr.  Kane,  assembled  in  this  city,  to  testify 
their  high  appreciation  of  his  character,  and  to  express 
their  deep  sympathy  with  his  heroic  purpose  of  Christian 
philanthropy,  in  again  venturing  forth,  amidst  the  perils 
of  an  Arctic  voyage.  Judge  Kane,  the  father  of  Dr.  Kank; 
Henry  Grinnell,  and  other  distinguiohed  getftlemen,  w  jio 


ir 
le 
r- 
le 

n, 
it 
is 
1- 
)n 
a- 
a 

0 


le 


EULOGY. 


41 


present.  Dr.  Kane  was  seated,  during  the  evening,  by  the 
side  of  the  M.  W.  Grand  Master  ;  Masonic  exercises,  of  an 
appropriate  and  interesting  character,  were  performed. 
Among  these  was  an  address  to  Dr.  Kane  by  the  Deputy 
Grand  Master,  embodying,  in  the  most  eloquent  and  touch- 
ing language,  the  sentiments  which  the  body  entertained 
toward  their  distinguished  guest.  Tj  this  address  Dr. 
Kane  replied  in  the  following  appropriate  and  beautiful 
terms : — 

"  In  behalf  of  myself  and  my  associates  in  the  American 
Arctic  Expedition,  I  thank  you,  sir,  most  cordially,  for 
the  tone  and  language  of  your  very  appropriate  and 
feeling  address,  and  the  pleasure  I  have  experirnced  in 
hearing  it.  With  regard  to  your  remarks  directly  associ- 
ated with  my  name,  I  should  be  embarrassed  could  I  not 
refuse  to  believe  them  addressed  to  me  in  any  other  capa- 
city than  that  of  the  representative  of  a  cause  which  per- 
har  .  i,../ claim  to  associate  Christian  charity  with  American 
tiijr  It  -  the  attempt  to  save  a  gallant  officer  and  his 
i-rU  .  fr'  n  a  dreadful  death,  without  inquiring  whether 
he  or  t  i  .f  end  ourselves  are  citizens  of  the  same,  or  of  an- 
other race,  or  clime,  or  nation.  Worshipful,  I  have  heard 
upon  this  floor  to-night,  our  party  characterized  as  a  Ma- 
sonic expeditii  And  is  it  not  this  ?  And  is  its  work  not 
substantial  Masonry  ?  Are  you,  sir,  or  you,  brothers,  here, 
that  are  gathered  around  me,  are  we  hllndly  attached  to 
this  or  that  ritual  of  this  or  that  form  or  order  of  the  Ma- 
s  ink  institution  ?  Say,  is  it  not,  rather,  that  we  see  re- 
i>  .'tec'  in  Freemasonry  the  cause  of  free  brotherhood 
throughout  the  world,  and  that  our  signs  and  our  symbols, 
our  tokens,  legends  and  pass-wofds,  are  only  honorable  in 
our  eyes,  and  honored,  because  they  are  a  language  in 


24426»i 


42 


EDtOOY. 


which  affection  can  securely  speak  to  sympathy,  and  human- 
ity safely  join  hands  with  honor  ? 

Brethren,  we  aie  called  in  our  day,  perhaps,  to  make  Ma- 
sonry what  it  sho  )  '  •  not  a  sectarian  society,  to  garb,  or 
rank,  or  enroll  men,  arate  them  from  their  fellows,  but 

a  bond  to  unite  the  goo^^  and  true  in  a  common  union,  for 
the  common  defence  and  welfare  of  all  who  are  good  and 
true  men.  Our  brother,  Franklin  I  he  was  one  who  ruled 
his  conduct  by  the  compass  and  the  square,  and  the  accents 
of  woe  never  for  him  fell  on  an  unpitying  ear.  It  may  be 
he  cannot  hear  your  voice  to-night,  calling  to  him,  "  Brother, 
be  of  good  cheer."  But  there  are  others  living — other 
Franklins  yet  to  live  and  to  be  born — whom  your  example 
and  your  sympathy  will  help  to  encourage  and  excite  to 
emulate  his  example,  when  they,  too,  peril  their  lives  for 
the  advantage  and  advancement  of  their  species.  These 
will  not  fall  unnoticed — they  shall  not  shrink  while  a  bro- 
ther's outstretched  hand  can  save  them.  The  Mason,  the 
true  man,  wherever  is  the  Grand  Lodge  that  the  Most  Wor- 
shipful has  built  up  for  our  habitation — wherever  is  it  that 
the  cry  of  affliction  is  heard — hastens  to  the  rescue  of  the 
widow's  son." 

Such  are  the  sentiments  that  reflect,  in  true  colors,  the 
character  of  Dr.  Kane,  as  a  Man — a  Mason — a  Christian  1 

At  the  close  of  this  address,  a  delegation  from  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  New  Jersey  was  presented  to  Dr.  Kane,  who 
communicated  to  him  resolutions  which  had  been  adopted 
by  that  body,  expressing  its  warmest  sympathies  with  the 
holy  enterprise  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  giving  to 
him,  "  as  a  Mason,  on  a  worthy  brother  Mason's  errand, 
and  to  his  officers  and  men,  an  affectionate  God-speed  on 
their  voyage,"  To  this  communication  Dr.  Kane  made  a 
brief  but  thrilling  reply,  and  the  meeting  soon  after  ad- 


EULOGY. 


43 


joumed.  The  whole  Bcene  was  one  of  deep  and  tender  in- 
terest— one,  the  impression  of  which,  can  never  fade  from 
the  hearts  of  those  who  had  the  privilege  to  witness  it.  As 
the  brethren  gathered  around  the  departing  hero,  to  give 
him  the  farewell  hand,  many  a  manly  breast  heaved  with 
deep  emotion,  and  many  a  manly  cheek  was  wet  with  the 
tears  of  brotherly  aflfection.  All  felt  that  it  was,  in  truth, 
the  hand  of  a  broiher  they  grasped — of  a  true  man — a 
faithful  Mason — a  member  of  a  family  whose  children  are 
bound  together  "  by  a  mystic  cord,  whoso  every  thread  is 
woven  in  the  loom  of  Love." 

The  next  morning  he  sailed.  His  departure  was  an  event 
which,  as  you  well  know,  excited  a  deep  interest  through 
the  nation.  From  thousands  of  family  altars  and  ten  thou- 
sand silent  hearts,  there  went  up  that  morning  intense  aspi- 
rations to  the  God  of  the  Sea  and  the  Land,  invoking  his 
watchful  care  over  the  fearless  mariner.  Vast  crowds 
gathered  on  the  Battery  and  on  the  wharves  to  take  a  part- 
ing look  at  the  adventurous  brig,  her  honored  commander 
and  gallant  crew.  The  waters  of  our  spacious  bay  every- 
where swarmed  with  steamers  and  sailing  craft  of  every 
description,  bearing  the  flags  and  emblems  of  Masonry,  and 
bidding  God-speed  to  the  calm  but  determined  and  noble 
band.  True,  it  was  no  novelty  to  see  a  vessel  go  forth  from 
these  secure  and  beautiful  waters,  to  voyage  upon  the  great 
deep.  Ships,  of  almost  every  nation  of  the  earth,  are  daily 
to  be  seen,  borne  away,  by  the  breezes  of  heaven,  from 
this  port  to  different  seas  and  the  remotest  climes ;  but 
there  was  not  one  among  the  thousands  who  gazed  that 
morning  upon  the  little  brig  of  a  hundred  and  forty-four 
tons,  manned  by  a  crew  of  only  eighteen  men,  as  she  slowly 
moved  down  the  bay,  who  did  not  feel  that  the  sight  was 
novel  and  august ;  there  was  not  one  who  was  not  conscious 


I 

i 


44 


EULOGY. 


of  unusual  emotions  at  that  hour  and  at  that  sight.  There 
was  moral  sublimity  in  it.  It  was  a  triumph  of  what  is  great 
and  pure  and  Godlike  in  our  nature.  It  was  the  com- 
mencement of  a  voyage,  not  for  the  gains  of  commerce,  nor 
for  the  crimson  glories  of  war,  nor  yet  for  the  advancement 
of  science ;  but  the  commencement  of  a  voyage  of  Love — 
a  voyage  for  the  rescue  of  a  band  of  strangers,  of  a  distant 
nation,  from  a  dreary  grave.  It  was  a  beautiful,  an  impress- 
ive recognition  of  the  worth  of  man  as  man — a  noble  tribute 
offered  to  the  transcendent  ties  of  our  humanity — a  deed 
of  lofty  charity  for  coming  ages  to  ponder  upon  and 
emulate. 

At  length,  amid  salutes  and  cheers  of  farewell,  they  cast 
off  from  the  steamer,  ard  were  soon  out  upon  the  Atlantic, 
ploughing  their  way  toward  the  eternal  winters  of  the 
north.  Their  destination  was  to  the  highest  penetrable 
point  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  from  thence,  by  means  of  dog- 
sledges,  to  attempt  a  search  for  the  missing  expedition,  by 
following  the  trend  of  the  coast. 

Pr.  Kane  was  a  firm,  enthusiastic  believer  in  the  exist- 
ence of  an  open  Polar  sea.  This  belief  he  had  not  only 
often  expressed  in  conversation,  but  had  supported,  with 
great  ability,  in  an  elaborate  paper  read  before  "The 
American  Geographical  and  Statistical  Society,"  December 
14th,  185i2.  In  that  paper,  he  also  expresses  his  firm  con- 
viction that  the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin  will  be  best 
promoted  by  a  course  leading  directly  to  this  open  sea. 
This  course  he  pursued,  and  on  the  first  of  September  had 
reached  Rensselaer  Bay,  on  Smith's  Strait,  in  latitude  78 
deg.  30  min.  After  making  every  effort  in  his  power  to 
penetrate  the  ice  with  his  brig,  to  a  still  more  northern 
point,  without  success,  he  at  length  determined  to  make 
this  bay  his  winter  quarters.    I  can  say  nothing  of  the 


EULOGY. 


4S 


scenes  through  which  the  expedition  passed  to  reach  this 
point ;  the  labors  they  performed — the  perils  they  encoun- 
tered— the  sufferings  they  endured,  amidst  raging  storms, 
and  drifting  ice,  and  crushing  bergs,  and  dashing  floes,  and 
hidden  rocks,  and  benumbing  cold.  The  pictures  of  these 
scenes,  drawn  by  the  pen  of  Dr.  Kane  himself,  with  a 
graphic  power  never  surpassed,  can  alone  give  any  just 
conception  of  that  almost  superhuman  energy,  skill,  fore- 
cast and  power  of  endurance  which  guided  the  movements 
of  that  little  vessel,  amidst  the  terrors  that  so  often  sur- 
rounded her  ;  nor  can  I  detain  you  by  attempting  even  the 
slightest  description  of  the  thrilling  events  of  their  life,  as 
for  the  period  of  twenty  months,  and  nine  of  these  Polar 
night,  they  made  their  home  in  that  little  brig,  fast  imbed- 
ded in  the  growing  ice.  No  page  of  human  history  ever 
written,  reveals  a  character  uniting  in  itself  the  elements  of 
power  and  moral  beauty  in  a  higher  degree  than  does  the 
page  which  records  this  period  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Kane. 
In  the  emergencies  which  arose,  often  so  terrible  and  over- 
whelming in  their  character,  that  it  seems  to  the  trembling 
reader  no  human  power  can  stand  the  shock,  the  great  and 
commanding,  as  well  as  the  more  amiable  and  lovely  quali- 
ties of  his  nature,  shone  forth  with  new  lustre  and  sweeter 
attraction.  But  I  anticipate.  During  this  long  and  drenry 
period,  Dr.  Kane  never  lost  sight  of  the  great  object  of  his 
expedition,  the  discovery  of  some  way  of  access  to  an  open 
Polar  sea ;  that  launched  upon  its  waters,  and  sailing  west- 
ward along  the  northern  American  coast,  he  might  prose- 
cute, with  greater  promises  of  success,  the  search  for  the 
lost.  To  this  end,  parties,  sometimes  led  by  himself  in 
person,  and  sometimes  by  his  officers  and  most  trust-worthy 
men,  were  sent  forth  from  the  brig  whenever  circumstances 
would  permit.    These  parties,  traversing  northward  the  icy 


46 


EULOOT. 


channel  in  which  they  were  imprisoned,  and  the  bordering 
Greenland  coast  on  the  east,  and  the  American  coast  on 
the  west,  enabled  Dr.  Kane  to  accomplish  much  that  is  of 
the  highest  moment  to  science.  To  say  nothing  of  the  im- 
portant results  ho  attained  by  his  observations  in  meteor- 
ology, astronomy,  and  by  his  geological  investigations,  he 
Bucceeded  in  surveying  and  delineating  the  north  coast  of 
Greenland  to  its  termination.  He  also  surveyed  an  im- 
mense glacier,  which  he  found  to  bound  the  north  coast  of 
Greenland,  running  thence  northward.  Beyond  this  gla- 
cial extension  he  discovered  a  new  land,  which  he  called 
"  Washington."  He  surveyed  and  delineated  the  coast  of 
this  new  land  to  its  termination,  at  about  81  deg.  30  min. 
of  north  latitude  ;  so  that  we  have  now  a  reliable  survey 
of  the  whole  extent  of  the  western  coast  of  Greenland  and 
of  Washington  land  to  its  termination  at  the  Polar  sea. 

He  also  discovered  and  delineated  a  large  tract  of  land, 
forming  the  extension  northward  of  the  American  Conti- 
nent, which  he  appropriately  named  after  the  liberal  patron 
of  the  expedition,  Henry  Gbinnell. 

He  also  completed  the  survey  of  the  American  Coast, 
from  Cape  Sabine,  in  latitude  about  78|  deg.  northward  to 
about  82^  deg.  ;  so  that  hereafter  geography  will  present 
na  a  map  of  the  east  coast  of  our  continent  to  a  point  only 
7^  deg.  distant  from  the  North  Pole. 

But  what  was  of  greater  interest  to  science,  and  afford- 
ed higher  satisfaction  to  the  immortal  explorer  and  to  sci- 
entiiic  men  throughout  the  world,  was  his  discovery  of  an 
open  Polar  sea.  In  the  month  of  June,  1854,  Dr.  Kane 
sent  out  a  sD)all  party,  with  their  dog-sledges,  giving  them 
special  instructions  to  proceed  on  the  ice  to  the  farthest 
point  north  they  could  possibly  reach.  After  proceeding, 
in  the  midst  of  the  most  formidable  difficulties,  about  one 


KDLOQV. 


4t 


hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  brig,  they  perceived  that 
the  ice  of  the  channel  was  growing  weak  and  dangerous. 
They  consequently  took  to  the  eastern  shore,  (Washington 
land,)   and  after  traveling  a  few  miles,  found  the  channel 
entirely  free  from  ice.    Along  the  shore  of  this  open  chan- 
nel, which  was  about  thirty-five  miles  wide,  they  traveled 
some  fifty  miles,  when  they  found  it  losing  itself  in  an  open 
and  expanding  iceless  sea,  with  its  heavy  ocean  swell,  roll- 
ing in  and  breaking  upon  the  rocks  at  their  feet.    Mr. 
Morton,  the  leader  of  the  party,  states  that  he  could  scarce- 
ly believe  the  evidence  of  his  own  senses,  his  astonishment 
at  the  sight  was  so  great.    Ascending  a  rocky  cliff,  some 
five  hundred  feet  in  height,  ho  was  able  to  see  the  American 
coast,  some  thirty  miles  to  the  westward,  stretching  far 
away  toward  the  north  and  west,  with  an  iceless  horizon, 
and  the  waves  breaking  in  upon  its  rocky  base.    To  the 
north  and  east,  within  a  horizon  of  fifty  miles,  which  they 
were  able  to  command,  nothing  was  seen  but  an  unbroken 
expanse  of  waters,  bearing  to  their  esys  the  deep-toned  and 
gladdening  music  of  the  sea.    Marine  birds  of  various  spe- 
cies— such  as  the  Bx'ent  goose,  the  Eider,  the  King  duck,  the 
Sea  swallow,  different  species  of  the  Gull — were  met  in 
flocks.    Fish  abounded  in  the  open  waters — snow  melted  on 
the  rocks — vegetable  life,  in  different  forms,  was  advanc- 
ing.    Indeed,  every  thing  around  them  indicated  that  that 
open  sea,  with  its  milder  climate,  surrounding  the  North 
Pole,  which  had  so  long  been  the  topic  of  speculation  and 
theory,  whose  existence,  from  the  days  of  Barcnitz,  in  1596, 
to  this  time,  had  been  the  theiiie  of  profound  study  and 
earncKC  discussion  in  the  most  distinguished  circles  of  sci- 
ence ;  that  open  Polar  sea,  the  hope  of  whose  discovery 
had  led  so  many  of  the  most  accomplished  and  daring  nav- 
igators of  the  world  to  bid  defiance  to  '*  the  cold's  death- 


48 


XULOOT. 


wielding  strength — the  rushing  ice — the  pathless  glacier — 
the  night  and  death  of  eternal  frost" — that  open  Polar  sea 
which  poetry  had  invested  with  a  beauty  and  attraction 
that  made  the  youthful  mariner  pant  to  reach  the  icy  gates 
of  the  North  ; — every  thing,  I  say,  indicated  that  the  waves 
of  that  sea  were  now  indeed  dashing  at  their  f5et  1  It  was 
a  moment  of  triumph,  of  lofty  exultation  to  that  little  band. 
The  confident  predictions  of  the  master-spirit  of  the  expe- 
dition, were  now  verified ;  his  beautiful  dream,  as  some 
had  called  it,  was  now  a  glorious  reality  ;  his  almost  boy- 
ish enthusiasm  upon  the  theme  was  completely  vindicated  1 
After  gazing  for  some  time  in  silence  on  the  scene,  and  re- 
membering that  the  hour  was  not  only  one  of  triumph  for 
his  noble  commander,  but  for  the  republic  he  represented,  Mr. 
Morton  raised,  upon  the  summit  of  the  cliff  where  he  stood, 
the  Stars  and  Stripes — the  flag  of  our  Union.  This  flag  Dr. 
Kane  calls  "The  Gbinnell' Flag  op  the  Antarctic — a 
well  cherished  little  relic  which  had  now  followed  me  on 
two  Polar  voyages."  This  flag  had  been  saved  from  the 
wreck  of  the  U.  S.  sloop-of-war  Peacock,  when  she  strand- 
ed off  the  Columbia  river.  It  had  accompanied  Com. 
Wilkes  in  his  far  southern  discoverv  of  an  Antarctic  con- 
tinent.  It  was  now  its  strange  destiny  to  2cat  over  the 
highest  northern  land,  not  only  of  America,  but  of  our 
globe.  Side  b'\  side  with  this  flag  were  placed  our  own 
Masonic  emblems  of  the  Compass  and  the  Square.  Here, 
mingling  their  folds,  they  floated  from  the  black  cliff  over 
the  dark,  rock-shadowed  waters,  which  rolled  up  and  broke 
in  white  caps  at  its  base."  By  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Grin- 
NELL,  I  am  able,  to-night,  to  unfurl  that  memorable  little 
flag  in  your  presence — "a  flag,  which,"  in  the. language 
of  Mr.  Gbinnell,  in  his  note  accompanying  the  flag,  when 
he  sent  it  to  me,  "  has  been  further  south,  and  twice  further 


wm 


ECLOOT. 


49 


north,  than  any  other  in  existence."  Here  it  is,  (the  flag 
was  here  unfurled  by  Mr.  A.;)  and  I  am  authorized  by  its 
distinguished  owner  to  say,  that  whoever  will  plant  this  flag 
at  any  point  further  north  than  that  on  which  Dr.  Kane 
planted  it,  shall  be  entitled  to  its  possession.  Writing,  sub- 
sequently, of  this  discovery.  Dr.  K.  says, "  Coming  as  it  did,  a 
mysterious  fluidity  in  the  midst  of  vast  plains  of  solid  ice,  it 
was  well  calculated  to  arouse  emotions  of  the  highest  order, 
and  I  do  not  believe  there  was  a  man  among  us  who  did  not 
long  for  the  means  of  embarking  upon  its  bright  and  lovely 
waters.  But  he  who  may  be  content  to  follow  our  story 
for  the  next  few  months,  will  feel,  as  we  did,  that  a  con- 
trolling neces3ity  made  the  desire  a  fruitless  one."  The 
events  that  follow,  until  the  conclusion  of  the  expedition, 
are  too  familiar  to  you  to  need  explicit  narration.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  the  brig  being  still  held  fast  in  her  icy  imprison- 
ment, after  the  usual  time  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  was 
past,  Dr.  Kane,  after  much  painful  deliberation,  refused 
yet  to  abano  •)  her,  and  resolved  to  face  the  perils  of  an- 
other winter.  For  nine  long  months,  one  half  of  it  dismal 
night,  ho  remained,  amidst  labors,  hunger,  cold,  sickness 
and  suffering,  such  as  no  language  can  adequately  describe. 
At  length,  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  1855,  the  party,  now 
consisting  of  sixteen,  two  of  their  number  having  died, 
leaving  their  little  brig  still  fast  bound  in  the  unyielding 
ice,  trusted  themselves  to  the  frozen  sea;  dragging,  on  ice- 
sledges,  their  boats,  laden  with  their  baggage  and  with  what 
provisions  they  had  left.  The  sick  and  helpless  of  their  little 
party  were  borne  on  the  only  dog-sledge  remaining  to  them, 
which  was  driven  by  Dr.  Kane  himself.  "  This  attempt 
to  escape  by  crossing  the  southern  ice  on  sledges,"  says  Dr. 
K.,  "  Is  regarded  by  me  as  an  imperative  duty,  the  only 


60 


EULOOr. 


means  left  of  saving  ourselves  and  preserving  the  labori- 
ously-earned results  of  tlio  expedition."    For  eighty-four 
days  they  toiled  their  weary  way  southward,  some  thirteen 
hundred  miles,  until  they  reached  the  Danish  settlement  of 
Upper  Navik.    Here  they  remained  till  the  6th  of  Septem- 
ber, when  they  sailed  homeward  in  a  little  Danish  barque, 
the  Marianne.   On  the  11th,  the  barque  reached  Oodhaven, 
the  Inspectorate  of  North  Greenland,  where  they  remain- 
ed for  a  few  days.    Just  as  they  were  about  leaving  this 
port,  a  steamer  in  the  distance  was  announced.    Her  stars 
and  stripes  were  soon  recognized  by  Dr.  Kane,  and  he  and 
his  party,  launched  in  their  little  boat  "  Faith,"  (which 
may  now  be  seen  at  the  Navy  Yard,  New  York,)  were  soon 
along  side.    In  his  own  words,  "  An  officer  whom  I  shall 
ever  remember  as  a  cherished  friend,  Capt.  Hartstein, 
hailed  a  little  man  in  a  ragged  flaimel  shirt — "  Is  that  Dr. 
Kane  ?"    And  with  the  '  Yes'  that  followed,  the  rigging 
was  manned  by  our  countrymen,  and  cheers  welcomed  us 
back  to  the  social  world  of  love  which  they  represented."  On 
the  18th  day  of  September,  he  sailed  for  New  York,  where 
he  arrived  on  the  11th  of  October,  1855,  having  been  absent 
about  two  years  and  a  half.  A  few  days  prior  to  his  arrival, 
the  public  mind  had  been  painfully  agitated  by  the  sad 
rumor,  that  a  ship  had  been  spoken  at  sea,  having  the  dead 
body  of  Dr.  Kane  on  board.    With  the  exception  of  tliis 
startling  rumor,  nothing  had  been  heard  of  him  since  he 
sailed,  and  the  anxiety  of  the  nation  had  grown  into  general 
alarm;  and  when  the  intelligence  was  received,  and  shot 
through  the  land,  that  the  searching  expeditign,  sent  out  by 
government,  had  returned  with  Dr.  Kane  and  his  party 
on  board,  in    safety,  from    ten  thousands  of  hearts  in 
all  sections  of  our  Union,  spontaneously  burst  forth  the 
liveliest  expressions   of  gratitude  and  joy.    The   great 


L 


EULOOV. 


61 


heart  of  the  Republic  seemed  to  beat  higli  with  thank- 
falness  at  the  restoration  of  her  honored  son,  whom  lior 
fears  had  already  consigned  to  a  dreary  grave.  Public 
honors,  from  various  sections  of  the  country,  were  oflFered 
him,  but  with  characteristic  modesty,  he  declined  them, 
and  with  his  usual  energy  and  industry,  entered  at  once 
upon  the  preparation  of  his  narrative,  since  published  un- 
der the  title  of  "  The  Arctic  Explorations."  Having,  b 
incessant  labor,  completed  this  truly  great  work,  ho  sailed,  in 
November  last,  for  England;  not,  as  has  been  generally  sup- 
posed, primarily  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  although  his 
health  at  the  time  was  much  impaired — but  at  the  invitation 
of  that  Ueaaed  woman — that  true-hearted  loife,  whose  love 
and  devotion  are  giving  to  female  character  a  higher  power 
and  a  diviner  beauty;  at  her  invitation  ho  went  to  take 
charge  of  another  expedition,  which  she  wr  s  tlien  fitting  out, 
(and  which,  as  you  are  aware,  has  just  saib  d,)  for  the  deliver- 
ance of  her  husband  from  an  iraprisonmci^t  in  which  her 
affection  believes  him  still  to  linger.  Lady  Tbanklin  felt, 
that  to  no  one,  could  she  intrust  the  command  of  this,  the  last 
expedition  she  could  ever  hope  to  send,  with  equal  confi- 
dence, as  to  the  American  navigator.  Dr.  Kane,  and  tliorefore 
some  time  previous,  had  tendered  him,  and  urged  upon  him , 
the  acceptance  of  this  position  of  honor  and  responsibility. 
Dr.  Kane,  although  fearing  that  his  physical  strength  and 
vigor  would  prove  inadequate  to  the  demands  of  the  respon- 
sible and  perilous  post,  yet,  viewing  the  subject  in  the  light  of 
duty,  at  length  decided  that  conscience  called  him  to  the 
work,  and  resolved  to  spend,  if  necessary,  the  last  remnant  of 
his  strength — to  lay  down  his  life,  in  one  more  effort  to  save 
the  veteran  mariner,  the  lost  brother,  and  restore  gladness  to 
the  heart  of  that  dying  wife.  For  this  purpose  he  once 
more  left  his  native  shores.    He  was  received  in  England 


mm 


M 


EULOQT. 


with  the  greatest  cordiality  ;  bnt  his  health  still  failing,  he 
appeared  but  littlo  in  public,  and  alter  a  short  time,  finding 
his  decline  becomii.g  more  rapid,  he  sailed  for  Havanna — 
but  in  vain.  The  balmy  air  of  that  green  island  of  the 
south  could  aflFord  no  relief.  "  The  grim  tyrant  had  de- 
voted him  for  sacrifice  ;"  had  bound,  slowly  and  in  silence 
his  chains  upon  him,  and  now  openly  came  to  claim  his  own. 
But  he  who  had  calmly  faced  death  in  so  many  of  its  most 
terrible  forms,  quails  not  now  before  the  enemy.  Not  a 
fear  disturbs  the  peacefulness  of  his  believing  and  trusting 
spirit ;  and  in  the  full  triumphs  of  the  Christian  faith,  he 
passes  away  to  the  bosom  of  his  God  1 

I  have  thus  traced,  in  its  faintest  outline,  the  life  of  our  la- 
mented brother.  The  prominent  events  of  his  career  were  of 
a  nature  fitted  to  develop  and  place  in  a  strong  light,  the 
leading  traits  of  his  character.  That  these  traits,  as  com- 
bined in  him,  formed  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  the 
age,  is  no",~  ""iversally  acknowledged — one  of  the  truei?t  and 
noblest,  whose  n;uao  adorns  the  page  of  American  bio'/ra- 
phy.  TfiC-  unconquerable  energy  of  kis  nature  was  one  of  his 
most  prominent  and  striking  traits.  This  element  of  power 
never  failed  him;  from  his  early  childhood,  it  stamped  his  ca- 
reer. Although  small  in  size,  (his  ordinary  waight  being 
about  a  hundiod  pounds,)  ard  with  an  organization  singularly 
delicate  and  refined,  yet  he  exhibited  an  activity,  physical  and 
mental — a  capacity  for  labor — a  power  of  endurance — a  reso- 
luteness of  purpose  and  an  iron  will,  such  as  the  stoutest  and 
strongest,  the  Goliaths  of  earth,  have  rarely  shown.  When 
an  object  was  before  him,  to  the  accomplishment  of  which  du- 
ty pointed,  he  shrank  from  no  labor;  was  disheartenei  by  no 
obstacles,  refused  no  sacrifices.  If  for  the  moment  baffled, 
he  seemed  to  rise  from  his  defeat  in  renovated  strength  to 
renew  the  struggle.    Whether  toiling  up  the  precipices  of 


EULOGY. 


58 


the  Himalayas,  or  fighting  his  way  through  the  ranks  of  the 
embattled  hosts  of  Mexico,  or  contending  amidst  the  wild 
war  of  elements  on  a  stormy  Arctic  sea,  or  from  Lis  ice- 
enchained  little  brig,  going  forth  alone  amid  the  darkness 
and  dreariness  of  a  Polar  night,  to  secure,  if  it  may  be,  a 
mouthful  of  food  that  can  minister  to  the  strength  of  one 
of  his  dying  crew — whatever  his  purpose,  wherever  the 
scene  of  his  efforts,  nothing  seemed  to  daunt  or  discourage 
him — ornvard,  straight  onward  to  his  object  he  directed  his 
course,  and  if  within  the  compass  of  human  power  to  reach 
it,  success  wr  s  the  result.  It  has  been  truly  said,  "  Our 
victory  is  in  its  nobility  somewhat  as  are  our  enemies  in 
their  strength."  The  foes  of  an  Arctic  explorer  are  among 
the  most  terrible  that  man  can  encounter;  and  triumph- 
antly to  meet  them,  demands  a  physical  courage — a  brave 
endurance — a  moral  heroism,  liigher  and  n  blor  than  any 
battle  field  whose  scenes  redden  the  page  of  history.  Justly, 
therefore,  to  appreciate  the  mighty  energy  of  his  nature,  of 
whom  we  speak,  we  must  follow  him  through  the  fearful  con- 
flicts to  which  he  was  called  in  that  zone  of  mystery  and  ter- 
ror. We  must  see  how  the  mightiest  powers  of  nature  were 
arrayed  against  him— how  the  wildest  elements  encoropasser^ 
him  with  fatal  arms  of  death — how  tho  sea  raged,  and  the 
blinding  snow  fell,  and  the  sun  sank  out  of  sight  lor 
months,  and  the  mountain  icebergs  are  seen  in  the  spectral 
twilight,  approaching  to  crush  his  little  vessel  in  their 
mighty  embrace.  We  must  see  "  how  contrivance  was  de- 
feated by  accident — how  foresight  proved  insufficient  to 
provide — how  human  strength  was  wasted  in  att'^mpts  that 
failed" — how  bread  was  wanting  and  fuel  was  not  found — 
how  famine  au^  disease  came  with  ghastly  terrors — how 
the  strong  man  laid  down  despairingly,  and  died — and  tlien 
how  he  rose  up  against  all  this,  and  asserting  the  supremacy 


54 


EULOGY. 


I 


of  that  nature  which  God  had  given  him,  triumphed  over 
all,  and  bore  back  the  remnant  of  worn  and  wearied  men 
that  was  left  him,  to  the  fair  havens  of  their  home  in  the 
south  I  Well  has  it  been  asked,  "  Are  not  the  Arctic  ex- 
plorations a  Christian  Iliad,  and  is  not  our  Achilles  nobler 
than  Thetis' son?" 

But  this  controlling  element  of  his  nature,  while  it 
crowded  his  brief  career  with  brilliant  achievements  and 
noble  results,  yet  shortened  his  life.  His  constitution, 
never  the  most  vigorous,  yielded  and  finally  gave  way  un- 
der the  overwhelming  burdens  which  his  insatiate  energy 
imposed  upon  it. 

The  intellect  of  Dr.  Kane  was  of  a  high  order.  Quick 
in  perception,  rapid  both  in  combination  and  analysis,  sound 
in  deduction  and  powduUy  retentive  of  me>"uory,  he  ac- 
quired with  great  ease,  and  ever  had  his  acquisitions  at 
immediate  disposal.  In  a  high  degree  inquisitive — enthusi- 
astic in  pursuit,  and  favored  as  he  was  with  abundant  means 
of  early  discipline  and  culture— the  range  of  his  attain- 
ments was  wide  and  varied,  especially  in  the  boundless 
fields  of  physical  science,  his  favorite  sphere  of  intellectual 
effort.  Although  naturally  impulsive,  yet  he  exhibited  in 
his  career  great  prudence  and  calm  self-reliance  ;  and  when 
the  emergency  demanded  new  resources,  his  fertility  of 
invention  was  wonderful.  He  was  capable  of  the  most  in- 
tense mental  concentration.  No  man,  whenever  investiga- 
tion required  it,  was  more  laborious,  patient  and  unyielding. 
The  paper  he  read  before  the  American  and  Geographical 
Statistical  Society,  already  alluded  to,  affords  a  fine  illus- 
tration of  his  powers  in  this  direction.  His  conclusions, 
in  regard  to  the  existence  of  an  open  Polar  sea,  therein 
embodied,  he  had  worked  out  by  a  chain  of  indui^tion  as 
severe  as  mathematical  demonstration;  he  no  more  proceeded 


EULOGY. 


0B 


on  mere  conjecture  than  did  the  immortal  discoverer  of  our 
hemisphere,  when,  in  the  face  of  a  scoffing  world,  he  asserted 
its  existence,  indeed,  Dr.  Kake  may  justly  be  styled  the 
Columbus  of  the  Arctic.  His  mind  also  was  of  that  refined 
cast  which  rendered  him  alive  to  true  grandeur  and  beauty 
and  would  have  enabled  him,  had  he  chosen,  to  range  suc- 
cessfully the  flowery  paths,  and  tempt  the  untrodden  heights 
of  the  literary  world.  To  nothing  that  unfolded  the  mys- 
terious purposes,  and  illustrated  the  exquisite  perfection  of 
nature's  handiwork,  was  he  ever  indifferent.  Whether 
upon  the  ocean  or  the  land — ^in  the  torrid  or  the  frigid  zone 
— whether  gazing  in  amazed  delight  upon  the  Arctic  Auro- 
ra, with  its  startling  and  beautiful  modifications  of  light  in 
swiftly-varying  succession — or  penetrating  the  caves  <^''  'n'n 
own  Alleghanies,  and  there  reading  the  history  of  'i 
amongst  the  hidden  rocks  and  in  the  successive  strata  of 
her  various  formations — whether  watching  the  silent  growth 
of  the  tiny  flower,  that,  under  some  overhanging  cliflF  of 
eternal  ice,  opens  its  modest  leaves  to  the  pale  beams  of  a 
Polar  sun,  or  measuring  the  heavenly  bodies,  in  their  dis- 
tant spheres,  and  with  mathematical  accuracy  marking  out 
the  paths  along  which  they  fly  in  their  impetuous  courses — 
whether  wandering  amidst  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  or 
through  the  classic  ruins  of  lovely  Greece; — ^no  object  of 
beauty,  no  scene  of  sublimity,  no  illustration  of  excellence, 
no  proof  of  virtue  that  ever  met  his  eye,  failed  to  minister 
pleasure  to  his  soul.  As  we  follow  him  in  his  Arctic  wan- 
derings, surrounded,  as  he  often  was,  with  horrors  thick 
and  dark  enough  to  overwhelm  an  ordinary  mind,  we  are 
astonished  at  the  beautiful,  glorious  thoughts,  invested 
often  with  the  loftiest  poetical  imagery,  which  abound  on 
the  pages  of  his  daily  journal.  Listen  to  his  language,  on 
one  occasion,  after  he  had  been  pacing  the  deck  of  his  little 


56 


EULOGY. 


brig,  as  she  lay  motionless  in  her  icy  chains,  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  unbroken  silence  of  her  mysterious  solitude: 
"  The  intense  beauty  of  the  Arctic  firmaruent  can  hardly  be 
imagined.  It  looks  close  above  our  headg,  with  its  stars 
magnified  in  glory,  and  the  very  planets  twinkling  so  much 
as  to  baffle  the  observations  of  tlie  astronomer.  I  have 
trodden  the  deck  when  the  life  of  earth  seemed  suspended 
— its  movements,  its  sounds,  its  coloring,  its  companion- 
ships ;  and  as  I  looked  on  the  radian,  hemisphere  circling 
above  me,  as  if  rendering  worship  to  the  Unseen  Centre  of 
Light,  I  have  ejaculated, '  Lord !  what  is  man,  that  Thou 
art  mindful  of  him?'  And  then  I  have  thought  of  the 
kindly  world  we  had  left,  with  its  revolving  sunlight  and 
shadow,  and  the  other  stars  that  gladden  it  in  their  changes, 
and  the  hearts  that  warmed  to  us  there,  till  I  lost  myself 
in  the  memories  of  those  who  are  not,  and  they  bore  me 
back  to  the  stars  ?gain."  Never  have  the  beauties,  the 
wonders,  the  terrors  of  that  mysterious  circle  of  earth's  sur- 
face, been  so  fully,  graphically,  and  with  such  fascinating 
power  of  rhetoric  revealed,  as  they  are  in  liis  "  Arctic  Ex- 
plorations"—a  work  which,  wliile  it  will  ever  awaken  the 
highest  admiration  for  its  gifted  author,  will  ever  be  in- 
vested with  a  melancholy  interest,  as  the  last  monument 
of  his  genius,  reared  with  his  dying  strength. 

But  the  moral  qualities  of  Dr.  Kane  constituted  the  gov- 
erning power  and  the  highest  adornment  of  his  nature  ;  for 
they  gave  useful  direction  to  his  mighty  energy,  harmony 
and  true  wisdom  to  the  workings  of  his  lofty  intellect,  aud 
brought  his  whole  being  into  unison  with  the  great  law 
of  Love. 

Brethren,  brightly  and  beautifully  were  the  fundamental 
principles  of  our  Venerable  Order  displayed  in  the  life  of 
our  lamented  brother.    Never,  perhaps,  were  justice  and 


EOLOOY. 


51 


truth  more  perfectly  realized  by  man.  Every  foot  of  the 
wall  which  he  built  in  the  temple,  was  in  the  strictest  con 
formity  to  the  square  and  the  plummet.  Deception,  misrep- 
resentation, unjust  concealment,  falsehood,  oppression,  wrong 
in  every  form,  seemed  his  abhorrence.  A  beautiful  instance 
of  this  may  be  found  in  his  narrative  of  the  first  United 
States  Grinrell  Expedition.  It  seems  that  to  a  tract  of 
land  first  discovered  by  Dr.  Kane,  while  on  this  expedition, 
lying  to  the  north  of  Wellington  Channel,  Commander  Db 
Haven  had  given  the  name  of  Grinnell.  A  year  after- 
ward, this  land  appeared  on  the  English  maps,  inscribed 
with  the  name  of  "  Prince  Albert  ;"  and  the  map  from  the 
hydrographer  of  the  Admiralty  not  only  inscribes  "  Albert 
Land"  on  this  newly  discovered  region,  but  pretends  to  ex- 
plain the  error  of  the  American  claim,  by  stating,  in  a  note, 
that  "  Baillie  Hamilton  Island  is  the  Grinnell  Land  of  the 
American  squadron."  Dr.  Kane,  after  demonstrating  from 
the  journals  of  the  English  navigators  themselves,  that  the 
Americans  were  the  actual  discoverers  of  this  region,  and 
so  demonstrating  it  that  the  hydrographer  of  the  English 
Admiralty,  in  a  letter  to  Mi*.  Grinnell,  which  I  have  had 
the  pleasure  of  reading,  has  honorably  acknowledged  their 
mistake,  and  given  assurance  that  hereafter  their  maps  will 
be  made  to  correspond  with  the  facts,  proceeds  tq  say : — 


"  The  controversy  is  perhaps  of  little  moment.  The  time  has  gone  by 
when  the  mere  sighting  of  a  distant  coast  conferred  on  a  navigator  or 
his  monarch  either  ownership  of  the  soil  or  a  right  to  govern  its  people ; 
even  the  planting  of  a  flag-staff,  with  armorial  emblazonments  at  the  top 
and  a  record-bottle  below  it,  does  not  insure  nowadays  n  conceded  title. 
Yet  the  comity  of  explorers  has  adopted  the  rule  of  the  more  scientifio 
observers  of  nature,  and  holds  it  for  law  everywhere  that  he  who  first  sees 
and  first  announces  shall  also  give  the  name.  I  should  be  sorry  to  with- 
draw from  the  extreme  charts  of  northern  discovery  any  memorial,  even 


58 


EULOGY. 


an  indirect  one,  of  that  Lady  Sovereign,  whose  noble-spirited  subjects 
we  met  in  Lancaster  Sound."'  Mark  now  his  ingenuousness — his  hones- 
ty— his  love  of  justice  and  truth.  "  It  was  only  by  accident  that  we  pre 
ceded  them,  mider  the  guidance  of  causes  that  can  assert  for  us  little  honor 
nince  tliey  were  beyond  our  control,  and  we  should  have  been  glad  to  escape 
them.  Bit  we  did  precede  them;  and  the  most  northern  land  on  th« 
meridian  of  94°  w>)8t  must  retain,  therefore,  the  honored  name  which 
it  received  from  t^  i  American  commander." 

,  I  have  said  that  Dr.  Kane  was  a  man  of  justice.  A  Brit- 
ish reviewer  has,  I  am  aware,  charged  him  with  an  act  of 
flagrant  injustice  toward  Godfrey,  one  of  his  crew.  This 
man  had  been  disobedient  and  mutinous  on  previous  occa- 
sions; now  he  was  in  the  act  of  openly  and  boldly  setting  at 
defiance  the  authority  of  his  commander,  and  fleeing  from  the 
ship.  Dr.  Kane,  standing  on  the  deck,  raised  his  gun  and 
fired  upon  him,  doing  him,  however,  no  injury.  Subsie- 
quently  Godfrey  returned,  and  was  restored  to  his  place 
among  the  crew.  Now,  any  man  who,  after  reading  the  ac- 
count of  this  matter,  as  given  by  Dr.  Kane,  and  confirmed 
by  his  officers  and  men — after  hearing  the  reasons  which  he 
believed  rendered  it  his  imperative  though  painful  duty  to 
adopt  the  course  he  did,  for  the  maintenance  of  that  disci- 
pline of  the  vessel,  which  was  vital  to  their  safety,  will 
charge  him  with  cruelty  or  injustice  in  this  act,  would 
blacken  tl\|e  memory  of  Washington  for  signing  the  death 
warrant  of  the  interesting  Andre,  although  he  firmly  believ- 
ed that  the  safety  of  the  army — the  welfare  of  the  struggling 
Republic — that  wierring  justice  required  it.  No  1  never  was 
there  a  commander  more  just  or  generous  toward  those  un- 
der his  authority  ;  and  this  is  the  testimony  of  the  officers 
and  men  who  shared  with  him  the  dangers  and  sufferings  of 
the  perilous  voyage,  and  gathered  around  him,  under  the 
poor  shelter  they  had,  through  those  dismal  and  intermina- 
ble winters — and  with  quivering  lip,  heaving  breast  and 


EUtOOT. 


69 


moistened  eye  do  they  speak  of  his  self  'devotion,  self-sacri- 
fice, his  never-failing  regard  for  the  welfare  of  his  comrades, 
in  that  hazardous  search  for  the  lost. 

Nor  was  h^  less  distinguished  by  our  other  great  princi- 
ple of  love.  "  Strong  and  binding  was  this  cement  of  his 
edifice — plastic  and  soft  as  the  purest  gem  in  its  applica- 
tion— grasping  and  tenacious  and  abiding  as  the  sculptor's 
adamant  which  it  unites,  to  form  the  whole  outward  aspect 
of  his  noble  structure."  Our  brother  fell  a  martyr  to  the 
benevolence  of  his  nature.  He  died — died  out  of  time,  be- 
cause he  would  rescue  others  from  death.  Human  suffer- 
ing, wherever  he  encountered  it;  in  whatever  accents  he 
heard  its  moans,  stirred  up  the  deep  fountains  of  love  within 
him.  His  career  was  full  of  the  most  touching  manifesta- 
ticTns  of  this  divine  principle.  Follow  him  through  the 
scenes  of  his  two  Polar  expeditions,  and  the  streams  of  his 
kindness  never  cedsed  to  flow.  Yes,  in  an  age  of  pre- 
dominant avarice  and  mechanical  routine,  he  has  set  us  an 
example  of  as  chivalrous  self-devotion  and  as  lofty,  magnan- 
imous enterprise  as  ever  illumined  the  tracks  of  the  holiest 
champions  in  the  world's  best  day.  See  him  during  the 
long  and  dreary  months  of  the  second  winter  of  their  im- 
prisonment in  Rensselaer  Bay,  with  every  officer  and  man, 
but  one,  prostrate  and  helpless  with  disease.  Day  ?ind  night, 
he  gives  himself  no  rest.  With  the  tenderness  and  gentle- 
ness and  assiduity  of  a  mother's  love  he  seeks  to  heal  their 
diseases  and  alleviate  their  sufferings,  by  his  unceasing 
ministries  of  skill  and  compassion.  Now  we  see  him  with 
his  gun,  going  forth  alone  and  toilmg  his  way  for  hours, 
throu;j:h  the  snow  drifi  i  and  over  the  ice  covered  rocks,  to 
secure  food  that  will  not  aggravate  the  disease  of  the  sick 
and  dying; — and  now,  we  see  him  seated  by  the  side  of  the 
pale  and  desponding,  speaking  words  of  comfort  and  hope 


60 


EULOflY. 


to  sinking  hearts.  I  know  of  no  record  of  human  kindness 
more  beautiful,  more  touching,  none  which  reveals  a  spirit 
in  closer  sympathy  with  His,  "who  went  about  doing 
good,"  than  does  the  record  of  this  portion  of  tho  Arctic 
life  of  Dr.  Kane. 

Go  with  me  at  another  time,  and  visit  that  lonely  brig. 
It  is  the  month  of  March,  1855.  The  hour  is  midnight. 
A  fearful  storm  is  raging.  The  thermometer  is  at  seventy- 
eight  degrees  below  the  freezing  point.  Dr.  Kane,  with  a 
portion  of  his  crew,  are  in  their  moss-lined  cabin  below, 
their  thoughts  it  may  be,  far  away  with  loved  ones  amid  the 
comforts  of  home.  Suddenly  the  noise  of  footsteps  is  heard 
on  the  deck,  and  the  next  moment,  three  of  a  party  of  eight, 
who  had  gone  forth  two  weeks  before,  on  an  expedition  of 
search  and  survey,  enter  the  cabin.  Their  looks  are  start- 
ling; trembling  with  weakness,  swollen,  haggard,  benumbed 
with  cold  and  but  just  able  to  utter  a  few  broken  words, 
their  appearance  tells  of  the  terrible  sufferings  they  have 
endured.  Their  story  is  short  and  frightful.  Weak  and 
faint  with  fatigue  and  hunger,  their  party  were  toiling  their 
slow  and  painful  way  back  to  the  brig,  their  o»ly  homo 
amidst  the  mighty  desolation  around  them,  when  they  were 
overtaken  by  a  storm  of  fierceness  and  power  unusual 
oven  in  that  region  of  tempests.  After  battling  against 
the  enraged  elements  for  hours,  four  of  their  number,  ex- 
hausted and  frozen,  sank  down  on  the  ice  to  die.  Of  the 
remaining  four  one  remained  with  his  dying  comrades ;  tho 
others,  after  many  hours,  (how  many  they  know  not,)  of 
wandering  and  struggle,  half  delirious,  reached  the  '^ig. 
Where  they  have  left  their  dying  companions  they  can- 
not tell.  But  notwithstanding  the  terrors  of  the  night 
and  the  faint  prospect  of  success  in  their  fearful  search,  and 
the  probability  of  their  own  destruction  in  the  apparently 


EULOOT. 


61 


. 


desperate  attempt,  yet  the  purpose  of  their  leader  is  in- 
stantly formed,  and  immediate  preparation  for  the  rescue 
is  ordered.  Amid  ^the  darkness  and  howling  tempest,  the 
band,  led  by  their  master  spirit  and  commending  themselves 
to  the  protection  of  Him  who  rides  on  the  storm,  start 
forth.  Ignorant  how  to  direct  their  course,  yet  they  press 
forward.  Hour  after  hour,  through  the  mighty  snow  drifts; 
in  face  of  the  blinding  tempest;  over  the  frozen  and  lace- 
rating hummocks,  they  struggle  on.  Twice  does  the 
strength  of  their  gallant  commander  give  Way  and  he  falls 
fainting  upon  the  snow.  At  length,  after  twenty  hours  of 
constant  and  incredible  toil  and  endurance,  and  just  as  they 
feel  that  they  must  yield  and  abandon  their  comrades  to  their 
sad  fate,  the  keen  eye  of  the  Esquimaux  boy  Hans,  detects 
the  faint,  half  filled  track  of  a  sledge  in  the  snow  ;  follow- 
ing this,  they  soon  perceive,  in  the  far  distance,  a  little  sig- 
nal, fluttering  in  the  wind  ;  a  nearer  approach  reveals  the 
small  tent  of  the  lost  party,  almost  buried  in  the  snow,  and 
from  a  little  flag-stafif  on  the  top,  floats  the  ensign  of  the 
Republic  and  underneath  the  Masonic  flag.  Trembling  with 
anxiety,  they  approach  the  silent  tent.  Their  leader,  dread- 
ing to  realize  his  worst  fears,  slowly  works  his  way  through 
the  surrounding  drifts  and  enters  the  tent  amid  the  dark- 
ness and  ominous  silence  that  prevail.  There  the  lost  party 
lay,  prostrate  and  helpless  on  the  icy  floor.  He  speaks; 
his  voice  is  recognized;  it  gives  new  life  to  their  benumbed 
and  torpid  senses,  and  with  reawakened  hope  and  revived 
courage  and  swelling  hearts,  they  exclaim :  "  We  knew 
you'd  come !  we  knew  you'd  come,  Brother ! "  And  why 
did  they  "  know  he'd  come  ?  "  Why  were  they  sustained 
by  this  assurance,  when  the  cold  arms  of  death  were  encir- 
cling them  ?  Ah  I  they  knew  that  the  divine  principles, 
symbolized  by  that  little  Masonic  flag,  that  fluttered  over 


62 


EULOGY. 


their  sinking  heada,  were  the  principles  that  ruled  the  heart 
and  the  life  of  their  beloved  and  trusted  leader,  and  that 
under  their  power,  no  distance;  no  darkness  of  the  night; 
no  fierceness  of  the  tempest;  no  terrors  of  the  cold;  no 
obstacles  that  hijman  strength  and  skill  could  surmount 
V.  ould  prevent  his  flying  to  their  rescue,  even  at  the  expense 
of  the  last  pulsation  of  his  great  and  benevolent  heart. 
"  Wc  knew  you'd  come ! "  Yes,  frozen  men,  just  ready  to 
die  I  he  did  eomo  1  Your  faith  in  your  noble  Brother,  the 
true  man,  the 'faithful  Mason,  was  no  delusion.  He  did 
come !  and  kindly  and  gently  ho  bore  you  back  to  your 
cabin  home;  and  although  one  of  your  number  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  the  stern  power  of  the  frost  king  of  the  North,  and 
his  body  now  lies  entombed  in  sight  of  that  "  deserted  hulk, 
bound  in  the  deathful  ice,"  you  live,  to  tell  with  what  con- 
stancy, fidelity  and  beauty  ho  illustrated  the  principle  of 
love  in  his  brief  but  immortal  career. 

Finally — Dr.  Kane  distinctly  and  constantly  maintained 
the  authority  of  religion,  and  with  reverent  faith,  sought 
its  guidance  and  consolations.  "  Our  honored  Society, 
Brethren,  maintains  this  open  profession,  in  carrying  ever 
before  us  and  in  our  midst,  with  solemn  reverence,  the 
Holy  Bible  ;  an  open  BiUe."  Our  lamented  Brother  had 
faith  in  God  and  in  his  revealed  word,  when  faith  meant 
something  and  cost  much.  Daily  his  little  band  knelt  around 
him  amid  the  Arctic  darkness,  and  he  led  them  in  prayer, 
to  the  eternal  Throne.  He  faithfully  taught  them  the  great 
truth  of  a  Providence  which  presides  over  the  course  of 
evcuts.  He  says:  "  Call  it  fatalism,  as  you  ignorantly  may; 
there  is  that  in  the  storyof  every  eventful  life,  which  teachos 
the  inefficiency  of  human  means,  and  the  present  control  of 
a  Supreme  Agency.  See  how  often  relief  has  come  at  the 
moment  of  extremity,  in  forms  strangely  unsought,  almost 


EULOGY. 


68 


at  the  time  unwelcome !  See  still  more,  how  the  back  has 
been  strengthened  to  its  increasing  burdens,  and  the  heart 
cheered  by  some  conscious  influence  of  an  Unseen  Power ! " 
Such  was  his  faith,  and  his  life  was  in  beautiful  harmony 
with  it.  Strong  and  fearless  before  men,  calm  and  intrepid 
amidst  surrounding  perils,  yet  he  humbly  asks  God's  help  and 
blushes  not  to  declare  his  humble  trust  in  Him:  When  hastily 
escaping  from  his  vessel,  which  is  threatened  with  instant 
destruction  by  the  crushing  ice,  he  grasps  his  "  little  home 
Bible,"  inscribed  it  may  be,  with  a  mother's  hand,  as  the 
treasure  first  to  he  secured.  When  about  forsaking  his 
little  ice-enchainei  vessel,  which  had  so  long  been  his  home 
in  that  mighty  desolation,  "  he  gathers  all  hands  around  " 
and  lifts  up  their  hearts  to  God.  His  faith  ever  sustained 
him.  Guided  by  its  rules,  his  work.  Brethren,  from  the 
time  that  he  mounted  the  wall  as  an  apprentice,  to  the  glo- 
rious day,  when  as  a  wise  master  builder,  he  set  the  key  of 
his  arch  and  brought  forth  the  top  stone  of  the  moral  tem- 
ple he  built,  his  work  was  dono  and  was  well  done. 

Then  translated  to  a  place  of  blessedness  and  dignity  in 
that  "  Temple  not  built  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens," 
he  still  works,  as  angels  do, — the  great  God  of  the  Uni- 
verse being  tlie  Grand  Master  Builder. 

Such,  imperfectly,  was  the  life  and  such  the  character  of 
him,  to  whose  memory  we  have  assembled  to  render  this 
humble  tribute  of  honor.  He  has  gone  to  his  grave,  but  in 
the  fullness  of  his  young  renown.  We  shall  see  him  here 
no  more;  but  his  noble  life,  his  thrilling  story,  his  beauti- 
ful example,  his  model  character,  and  his  precious  memory 
are  our  i'laperishablc  inheritance.  Brethren  let  us  guard 
them  well  and  emulate  them  as  we  may.  Let  us  enshrine 
them  in  the  deepest  thoughts  of  our  efforts,  and  as  he  still 
works  on  the  walls  of  the  temple  we  build,  let  us  be  ani- 


64 


ItTLOOT. 


I 


mated  to  greater  diligence  and  high  fidelity,  that  we  too 
may  c^tcr,  in  due  time,  the  portals  of  that  Upper  Temple 
whose  proportions  of  harmony,  beauty  and  infinite  gran- 
deur, shall  awaken  our  admiration  and  draw  forth  our  in- 
creasing praises  through  eternal  ages. 


5" 


J 


